The Indo-Soviet Joint Manned Space Flight launching the first Indian into space takes place from 3rd April, 1984 to 11th April, 1984. This mission is the outcome of the agreement signed between the Government of India and USSR for the participation of an Indian Cosmonaut in the joint manned space flight to be launched by USSR in April 1984. Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma, an outstanding test pilot of the Indian Air Force, will become the first Indian to go into space when he alongwith two other Soviet cosmonauts orbits the earth for eight days during the Joint Indo-Soviet Manned Space Flight. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma and Wing Commander Ravish Malhotra were the two Indian Air Force officers selected through a rigorous process of selection for training at Yuri Gagarian Centre, both have qualified to make the space flight. Two sets of crew have been formed, of which one will be the main crew who will actually participate in the space flight and the other will be standing by.

The main crew for the mission is Col Yuri Malyshev- pilot cosmonaut and Commander, Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma- Researcher Cosmonaut and Mr. Gennady Sterkalov- Engineer Cosmonaut. The standby crew comprising Col. Anatoly Berezovoi, pilot Cosmonaut, Wg. Cdr Ravish Malhotra- Researcher Cosmonaut and Mr. Glorgi Grechko- Engineer Cosmonaut. The joint space mission includes advanced experiments on bio-medicine, material science and remote sensing sponsored by the Institute of Aviation Medicine of the Air Force, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Space Research Organisation respectively, in collaboration with Soviet Research Institutions. Some of the experiments are being conducted for the first time and interesting results are expected to emerge out of the studies based on them. The crew for the space flight will be launched on Soyuz T-11 transporter spacecraft with the help of Rocket-carrier Soyuz on 3rd April 1984 from Balkonour. Soyuz T-11 will dock with the Salyut-7, the scientific orbital space station which was launched on 19th April 1982 and is in a near-earth orbit at an altitude of 360 KMs.

A three member Soviet crew comprising Commander Col Leonid Kizim, flight engineer Vladimir Solovyov and cardiologist Dr Oleg Atkov have already reached the Salyut-7 space station on 9th Feb., 1984 and will receive the crew of the joint mission when they dock with the Salyut-7. After completing the programme for the space mission the joint Indo-Soviet crew is expected to touchdown on 11th April, 1984. The crew will bring back with them the log of their activities, symbols which were taken to space and scientific data and results of the experiments conducted in space.

Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is proud to issue a special stamp on this historic occasion.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India