'Learning like a baby, enjoying this experience': Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla from spacecraft
New Delhi (PTI): Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday said he was learning to live in microgravity conditions "like a baby" and it was an amazing experience to float in vacuum as the Dragon spacecraft circled the Earth in its journey to dock at the International Space Station.
Sharing his experience via a videolink from the spacecraft, Shukla said after remaining in quarantine for 30 days, where he was far away from all the excitement, ahead of the launch of the Axiom-4 mission on Wednesday, "the only thought in my mind was to let us just go".
Shukla and three other astronauts lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on board the Dragon spacecraft, powered by the Falcon-9 rocket for a 14-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronauts, part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission, are expected to dock at the ISS at 4:30 pm on Thursday.
"Wow, what a ride it was. Frankly, when I was sitting in the capsule Grace, yesterday on the launchpad, the only thought in my mind was let's just go. After 30 days of quarantine, it was a feeling that I just wanted to go. Excitement and all was very far away. There was just this feeling that let us just leave," Shukla said.
The new Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX has been named Grace by the astronauts.
He also introduced ‘Joy’, a toy swan that is the zero gravity indicator, and the fifth "crew member" on the Axiom-4 mission.
Sharing his experience of encountering the gravitational force during the launch, Shukla said he felt like being pushed back in his seat.
"But when the ride started, it was something. You were getting pushed back in the seat. It was an amazing ride and then suddenly nothing. Everything was silent and you were just floating. You were unbuckled and just floating in the silence of vacuum," he said.
Shukla said the first few moments after they got shot into the vacuum did not feel that great, but soon it was "an amazing feeling".
He added that his fellow astronauts have told him that he has been sleeping a lot since the launch on Wednesday.
"I am getting used to it quite well. I am enjoying the views, enjoying the experience and learning like a baby. Learning the new steps, learning how to walk, learning how to control yourself, learning how to eat. It’s just so exciting," Shukla said.
"It is a new environment, a new challenge and I am really enjoying this experience with my fellow astronauts here. It is good to make mistakes, but it is better to see somebody else do that too. So it has been a fun time," Shukla said.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
