Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin has appreciated India for its remarkable achievements in space exploration.

On the 40th Anniversary of the spaceflight of the first Indian cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984, Babushkin emphasised the enduring partnership between Russia and India in the space sector, reported ANI.

“Russia has always been favouring Indian success,” Babushkin told ANI, emphasising the historic collaboration symbolised by figures like Rakesh Sharma.

“The space domain stands as a testament to our special and privileged strategic partnership,” he also said.

Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov has wished Indians over the 40th anniversary of the first-ever Indian space flight aboard Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.

"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!" he posted on X.

The iconic space mission had Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma and two Russian cosmonauts on board.

The Russian Embassy in India also remembered the mission and wrote on X: " On April 3, 1984, the Soyuz-U launch vehicle put into orbit the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft under the #Intercosmos program. The crew consisting #Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov included #India's first cosmonaut — Rakesh Sharma. "

The Russian Consulate in Kolkata recently inaugurated a photo exhibition at the Russian House (GorkySadan) to mark the 40th anniversary of a space flight by Rakesh Sharma.

The exhibition will be open till April 12.

Gangayaan Mission

Indian PM Narendra Modi visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram in February where he revealed the names of the four pilots who are undergoing training for the nation's first maiden human space flight mission 'Gaganyaan'.

The astronaut-designates are Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.