In 1984, he became the first Indian to fly to space, when he flew aboard the Soyuz T-11. It took off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2 April 1984. The Soyuz T-11 reached the Salyut 7 space station, with the ship's commander, Yury Malyshev, and flight engineer, Gennadi Strekalov. Sharma spent 7days, 21hours and 40minutes in the Salyut 7. The crew held a television news conference with officials in Moscow and then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, he replied, ""Sare Jahan Se Accha"" (the best in the world). This is the title of a patriotic poem by Muhammad Iqbal against the British Raj. India became the 14thnation to send a man to outer space.