Here is a list of all Indian and Indian-origin astronauts Rakesh Sharma On April 3, 1984, Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket to the space station Salyut 7. In 1984, former Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel into space. He was selected as a cosmonaut for a space mission launched jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos space programme. On April 3, 1984, he flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket to the space station Salyut 7. When then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him what India looked like from outer space, Sharma famously said, “Saare Jahaan se Achcha”.