Rakesh Sharma

Indian Air Force pilot who became the first Indian citizen in space, flying to the Soviet Salyut 7 station on Soyuz T-11 in April 1984.

Portrait of Rakesh Sharma
Photo: Subhav Sharma · Public domain · source

Rakesh Sharma (born 13 January 1949)

Contribution

On 3 April 1984 Sharma launched on Soyuz T-11 with two Soviet cosmonauts, Yury Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov, and flew to the Salyut 7 space station. He was the first Indian citizen to go to space.

On board he photographed India from orbit and tested how yoga exercises affect the body in weightlessness. The crew returned on 11 April 1984, landing in Kazakhstan. His flight lasted 7 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes.

It was 41 years before another Indian, Shubhanshu Shukla, went to space.

Career

Sharma was born in Patiala, Punjab. He joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot in 1970 and flew combat missions in a MiG-21 in the 1971 war. He was selected for the joint Soviet–Indian flight in 1982.

In 1987 he joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as a test pilot and later became its Chief Test Pilot in Bangalore. He retired from test flying in 2001.

Linked missions

  • Soyuz T-11 / Salyut 7 (3–11 April 1984): Research cosmonaut.
  • Related: India's own crewed programme, Gaganyaan.

Sources

  1. Rakesh Sharma — Encyclopaedia Britannica
  2. Cosmonaut Biography: Rakesh Sharma — Spacefacts
  3. An Indian in space after a 41-year gap (New India Samachar, 16–31 July 2025) — PIB