New Delhi: On this day, April 3, 1984, Rakesh Sharma scripted history by becoming the first Indian to reach outer space on board the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11. The Indian Air Force on Wednesday paid tribute to Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the only Indian to have gone into space on the anniversary of his space journey on this day, 40 years ago.
The IAF, in a post on X, said, "As India charters its path towards the Gaganyaan Mission, on this day, we remember the heroic space flight undertaken by then Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma. The first Cosmonaut of India, Sqn Ldr Rakesh undertook his space journey on this day, 40 years ago.
The IAF also wrote a line of the very famous patriotic song 'Sare Jahan Se Achcha' written by poet Allama Iqbal, the same one quoted by Rakesh Sharma when asked by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi how India looked from space.
The Russian Embassy in India also took to X to commemorate the day. "On April 3, 1984, the Soyuz-U launch vehicle put into orbit the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft under the #Intercosmos program. The crew consisting of #Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov included #India's first cosmonaut — Rakesh Sharma."
"Warm congratulations to Hero Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma and all Indians on the 40th anniversary of the first ever Indian space flight aboard Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft," Denis Alipov, Russian Ambassador to India said.