Shubhanshu Shukla set to return to India tomorrow, to meet PM Modi
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New Delhi: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to India on Sunday after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS) and is eager to share his experiences with friends and colleagues, as ISRO eyes its maiden human spaceflight in 2027.
Shukla, who has been in the US training for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS over the past year, is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then travel to his hometown, Lucknow. He will also be back in the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23.
Posting a smiling photograph on Instagram while on board the plane, Shukla expressed mixed emotions at leaving the US. “I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is—everything all at once,” he said.
He added, “Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you. Goodbyes are hard but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, 'the only constant in spaceflight is change'. I believe that applies to life as well.”
Shukla also recalled a song from the Bollywood movie 'Swades', saying, “I guess at the end of the day—'Yun hi chala chal rahi - jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya'”—which was on his playlist just before embarking on the Axiom-4 mission from Florida on June 25.
Shukla and his backup astronaut, Prashanth Nair, participated in Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston on Friday. Addressing the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi said India was developing its own space station and noted, “Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India.”
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that launched from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26, returning to Earth on July 15. Alongside three other astronauts—Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary)—he conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during the 18-day mission.
With PTI inputs
