View source for Rakesh Sharma

{{Short description|First Indian cosmonaut (born 1949)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Rakesh Sharma
| image = Rakesh sharma.jpg
| caption = Rakesh Sharma, as a [[Squadron Leader]] in the [[Indian Air Force]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|01|13|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Patiala]], [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]], [[Dominion of India]]<br />(now in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])
| occupation = [[Fighter pilot]] at [[Indian Air Force|IAF]]<br />[[Cosmonaut|Research Cosmonaut]] at [[ISRO]]<br />
[[Test pilot]] at [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited|HAL]]
| selection = [[List of astronauts by year of selection#1982|1982 Intercosmos (India)]]
| time = 7&nbsp;days, 21&nbsp;hours, 40&nbsp;minutes
| mission = [[Soyuz T-11]]/[[Soyuz T-10|T-10]]
| insignia = [[File:Soyuz-T-11-Mission-Patch.svg|45px]] [[File:Rakesh Sharma Chest Patch.svg|45px]]
| honorific_suffix = [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]]
| module = {{Infobox military person| embed = yes
| allegiance = {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{air force|India}}
| rank = [[File:Indian IAF OF-4.svg|24px]] [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]]
| servicenumber = 12396  F(P)
|serviceyears  = 1970 {{endash}} 1990
| battles  = [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 Indo-Pakistani War]]
| awards = [[File:Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg|35px]] [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashok Chakra]] <br />[[File:Золотая Звезда Героя Советского Союза.svg|20px]]  [[Hero of the Soviet Union]]
| spouse=Madhu Sharma
| children=2
}}
| type = [[Indian people|Indian]] cosmonaut
| status = Retired
|alma_mater = [[National Defence Academy]]<br />[[Air Force Academy (India)|Air Force Academy]]
| native_name = 
}}

'''Rakesh Sharma''' (born 13 January 1949) is an Indian [[cosmonaut]] and a former [[Indian Air Force]] officer. He flew aboard [[Soyuz T-11]] on 3 April 1984 as part of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Interkosmos]] programme. He is the first [[List of Indian astronauts|Indian citizen to travel in space]], although there have been other [[List of astronauts of Indian origin|astronauts of Indian origin]] who travelled to space, who were not Indian citizens.<ref name=spacefacts>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/sharma_rakesh.htm |title=Cosmonaut Biography: Rakesh Sharma |publisher=Spacefacts.de |access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/miscellaneous/rakesh-sharma.html |title=Rakesh Sharma |publisher=Mapsofindia.com |access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref> Another Air Force pilot, [[Ravish Malhotra]], was placed on standby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/malhotra_ravish.htm|title = Cosmonaut Biography: Ravish Malhotra}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Sharma was born on 13 January 1949 in [[Patiala]] of present-day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India into a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] family.<ref name="aerospace" /> Sharma attended [[St. George's Grammar School (Hyderabad)|St. George's Grammar School]], [[Hyderabad]]<ref name=aerospace /> and graduated from [[Nizam College]], [[Hyderabad]]. He joined the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] as an air force plebe in July 1966<ref>{{cite book |title=Tragedy and triumph in orbit : the eighties and early nineties |date=June 2012 |publisher=Springer  |isbn=978-1-4614-3430-6}}</ref> and was commissioned into the [[Indian Air Force]] as a pilot in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=Service Record for Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma 12396 F(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/12396 |website=[[Bharat Rakshak]] |language=en-gb}}</ref> He flew 21 combat missions as a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]] pilot during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 March 2024 |title=Rakesh Sharma: Biography & Space Journey |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rakesh-Sharma |access-date=9 March 2024 |website=Britannica |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==
=== IAF career ===
An alumnus of the 35th{{Nbsp}}[[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]], Sharma joined the [[Indian Air Force]] as a test pilot in 1970 and progressed through numerous levels where in 1984 he was promoted to the rank of [[squadron leader]].<ref name=aerospace>{{cite web|url=http://www.aerospaceguide.net/astronaut/rakesh_sharma.html|website=aerospaceguide.net|title=Rakesh Sharma|access-date=4 June 2014}}</ref> He was selected on 20{{Nbsp}}September 1982 to become a cosmonaut and go into space as part of a joint programme between the [[Indian Air Force]] and the Soviet [[Interkosmos]] space programme.<ref name=hin>{{cite news|url=http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|title=The down to earth Rakesh Sharma|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 April 2010|access-date=5 April 2014|first=Pankaja|last=Srinivasan|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724161536/http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Cosmonaut ===
[[File:Rakesh Sharma (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sharma in a [[Sokol space suit]] ahead of the Soyuz T-11 flight]]

In 1984, Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket [[]] launched from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]] on 3 April 1984. The Soyuz T-11 spacecraft carrying cosmonauts including Sharma docked and transferred the three member Soviet-Indian international crew, consisting of the ship's commander, [[Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yury Malyshev]], and flight engineer, [[Gennadi Strekalov]], to the  [[Salyut 7]] Orbital Station. Sharma spent 7{{Nbsp}}days, 21{{Nbsp}}hours, and 40{{Nbsp}}minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his team conducted scientific and technical studies which included forty-three{{Nbsp}}experimental sessions. His work was mainly in the fields of bio-medicine and remote sensing.<ref name=hin /> The crew held a joint television news conference with officials in [[Moscow]] and then Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. When Indira Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, he replied, "''[[Sare Jahan se Accha|Sare Jahan Se Accha]]''" (better than the whole world). This is the title of a patriotic poem by [[Allama Iqbal|Iqbal]] that had been written when India was under [[British Raj|British colonial rule]], that continues to be popular today. With Sharma's voyage aboard [[Soyuz T-11]], India became the 14th{{Nbsp}}nation to send a man to outer space.<ref name="hin" />

{{Quote box
 | quote  = When [[Indira Gandhi]] asked, “Upar se [[India|Bharat]] kaisa dikhta hai?” (“How does India look from space?”), I replied: “Saare Jahan Se Achha, [[Hindustan]] Hamara” ("Better than the entire world is our Hindustan.")
 | source = [https://www.amarujala.com/education/when-pm-indira-gandhi-asked-to-cosmonaut-rakesh-sharma-that-upar-se-bharat-kaisa-dikhta-hai ''Amar Ujala'', accessed 25 June 2025]
 | align  = right
 | width  = 30%
 | style  = font-size:90%;
}}

=== Post-retirement ===
Sharma retired as a [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] and later joined [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited]] (HAL) in 1987, serving as the chief test pilot in the HAL [[Nashik]] Division until 1992, before moving on to [[Bangalore]] to work as HAL's chief test pilot. Sharma retired from flying in 2001.<ref name="spacefacts" />

== Military awards and decorations ==
Sharma was conferred the honour of the [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] upon his return from space. He remains to date the only Indian to have been conferred this honour. India also conferred its highest peacetime gallantry award, the [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|'Ashoka Chakra']], on him and the two{{Nbsp}}Soviet members of his mission, Malyshev and Strekalov.<ref name="hin" />

The citation for the [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashoka Chakra]] reads as follows:<ref>{{cite web |title=Gallantry Awards: Ministry of Defence, Government of India |url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/awardee/4373 |website=Gallantry Awards}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|Gazette Notification: No.57-Pres/85 dated 7th May 1985
Date of Award: 3 April 1984

=== Ashoka Chakra citation ===
{{center|'''CITATION'''<br />
'''SQUADRON LEADER RAKESH SHARMA'''<br />
'''(12396) FLYING (PILOT)'''}}
In January 1982, when it was decided that an Indian would go into space on a Soviet space ship, Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma volunteered for this very challenging mission. After a very rigorous selection process, which included a most exacting medical test, he was selected as one of the two cosmonaut candidates from among 150 highly qualified and experienced pilots of the Indian Air Force. After his selection, he underwent training as a cosmonaut at YURI GAGARIN CENTRE in the USSR, where he applied himself with total devotion and dedication and won acclaim from Soviet Space experts. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma completed a most arduous training schedule, with distinction and with exceptional professionalism.

On 3 April 1984, Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to orbit in space. He carried out all the scientific experiments planned for the joint Indo-Soviet Space Mission and other tasks assigned to him with great facility and excellence. Sqn Ldr Sharma has not only carved out a place for himself in the space roll of honour but has brought glory and credit to the nation.

Squadron leader Rakesh Sharma has thus displayed most conspicuous daring and courage to become the first Indian to go into space.|sign=|source=}}

=== Ribbon bar ===
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="4" |[[File:Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Paschimi Star Ribbon.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Sangram Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 25th Anniversary Independence medal.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="1" |[[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashok Chakra]]
|colspan="2" |[[Paschimi Star]]
|colspan="1" |[[Sangram Medal]]
|-
|[[Sainya Seva Medal]]
|[[Videsh Seva Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|25th Anniversary of Independence Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Long service awards|9 Years Long Service Medal]]
|}

== Personal life ==
Sharma married Madhu Sharma. His son, Kapil, is a film director,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Indian man has not kept pace with Indian woman: Kapil Sharma – Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/indian-man-has-not-kept-pace-with-indian-woman-kapil-sharma/articleshow/18747848.cms|access-date=12 October 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en|last1=Gupta |first1=Priya }}</ref> while his daughter, Krittika, is a media artist.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

== Popular culture ==
A biographical Hindi-language film titled ''Saare Jahaan Se Achcha'' (formerly ''Salute''), is under pre-production since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farhan Akhtar Finalised to Star in Rakesh Sharma Biopic? |url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/bollywood/farhan-akhtar-to-lead-rakhesh-sharma-biopic |website=[[TheQuint]] |date=30 July 2020 |access-date=25 November 2020|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Gaganyaan]]
* [[Kalpana Chawla]]
* [[Sirisha Bandla]]
* [[Ravish Malhotra]]
* [[P. Radhakrishnan (scientist)|P. Radhakrishnan]]
* [[Shubhanshu Shukla]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://astrotalkuk.org/2013/11/03/rakesh-sharma/ Interview with Rakesh Sharma in August 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204071531/http://astrotalkuk.org/2013/11/03/rakesh-sharma/ |date=4 December 2013 }}
* [https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20181119-rakesh-sharma-our-first-space-man-1384895-2018-11-09 Rakesh Sharma: Our First Space Man] ''[[India Today]]'', 9 November 2018

{{Ashoka Chakra award recipients}}

{{Indian space programme}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Rakesh}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Indian astronauts]]
[[Category:Indian military aviators]]
[[Category:Indian test pilots]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"]]
[[Category:Space programme of India]]
[[Category:Salyut programme cosmonauts]]
[[Category:Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Osmania University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:People from Patiala]]