Rakesh Sharma

First Indian astronaut

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Born: January 13, 1949
Age in 2026: 77
Zodiac sign: Capricorn
Birth year: 1949

About Rakesh Sharma

Rakesh Sharma (born 13 January 1949) is an Indian cosmonaut and a pilot of the Indian Air Force. He became the first Indian to travel to outer space, when he flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. == Early and personal life == Rakesh Sharma was born on 13 January 1949 in Patiala into a Punjabi family. He attended St. George's Grammar School and graduated from Nizam College, Hyderabad. He joined the National Defence Academy as an air force plebe in July 1966. Sharma married Madhu, and the couple have three children including film director Kapil Sharma. == Career == Sharma was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a pilot in 1970. He flew 21 combat missions piloting the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In 1984, he was promoted to the rank of squadron leader.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

On 3 April 1984, Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to orbit in space.
Sharma became the first Indian to travel to outer space when he flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic on 3 April 1984.
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.

Rakesh Sharma timeline

1984On 3 April 1984, Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to orbit in space.
1984Sharma became the first Indian to travel to outer space when he flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic on 3 April 1984.
1984He became the first Indian to travel to outer space, when he flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.

The world when Rakesh Sharma was born

Rakesh Sharma was born in 1949. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1949

#1 song"Riders in the Sky" – Vaughn Monroe
Top movieAll the King's Men
Top TV showTexaco Star Theater
Best-selling bookThe Egyptian - Mika Waltari

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentJoe Louis retires from boxing as undefeated heavyweight champion
Top headlineNATO established
Technology milestoneFirst stored-program computer runs its first program
Defining fadSilly Putty
Notable inventionSilly Putty
World population2.52 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
Also wonMinneapolis Lakers (BAA)
U.S. population149.2M

1949 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Rakesh Sharma's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1949	2026
Gas	$0.27	$3.45/gal
Average home	$8,400	$435,000
Average income	$5,000	$67,500
Minimum wage	$0.40	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.46	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	149.2M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.