Retired Air Force Pilot Rakesh Sharma remains the only Indian citizen to have travelled to space, nearly 34 years after he achieved the feat. Sharma, who turns 69 today, flew aboard Soyuz T-11 spacecraft under a joint ISRO-Soviet programme and spent over seven days orbiting Earth. Notably, India-born Kalpana Chawla and Indian-origin Sunita Williams flew to space as American astronauts.