Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Meets PM Modi, Shows Him Photos From Space
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was the pilot of Axiom-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS), met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Shukla was part of the Ax-4 private space mission, which lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26. Subsequently, he returned to Earth on July 15. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space.
Shukla spent the past year in the United States training for the Ax-4 mission to the ISS. During the 18-day mission, Shukla, along with astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted more than 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions aboard the ISS.
#WATCH | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was the pilot of Axiom-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS), meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. pic.twitter.com/0uvclu9V2b
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025
In June, Shukla became the first Indian to reach the ISS. He returned on July 15, after an 18-day mission, which was packed with several experiments led by ISRO and other activities on the orbital lab. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation in the US.
Also Read: ‘Historic Milestone,’ Says Rijiju As LS To Honour Shubhanshu Shukla’s Historic Space Mission
Meanwhile, addressing the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, PM Modi highlighted India’s plans to develop its space station and noted that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has recently returned from a successful space mission.
“Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India,” PM Modi had said.
Lok Sabha on Monday briefly took up discussion on India’s First Astronaut Aboard the International Space Station – Critical Role of Space programme for ‘Viksit Bharat By 2047’. Speaker Om Birla congratulated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla for his achievements.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, spoke amid slogan shouting by opposition members over their demand for discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar.
(with agencies’ inputs)
