New Delhi: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), returned to India to a warm welcome early on Monday. He was received at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi by chief minister Rekha Gupta, Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh, ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan and others.
The astronaut is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for his home in Lucknow to spend some time with his family. He will return to Delhi soon to be part of the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23.
Grp Capt Shukla returned to India after spending more than a year in the US, where he was training for the Axiom-4 mission that took him to space.
“Welcome Home, Heroes! What a moment of pride for Delhi and for the entire nation! Honoured to welcome Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, Mission Pilot of Axiom Mission-4 and first ISRO astronaut to reach the International Space Station along with Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts chosen for India’s first human space mission Gaganyaan,” the Delhi CM posted on X.
“Welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla ji at Delhi Airport today was a celebration of the aspirations and dreams of millions of Indians. Accompanying him was Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair ji, designated as the backup astronaut for the mission. Meeting these brave sons of the soil along with Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh ji and ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan ji was an extremely inspiring experience. Seeing these astronauts among students further strengthened the belief that India’s future is filled with limitless possibilities. This moment will be etched in history with golden letters,” Gupta added.
She said that India is reaching new heights in space science and technology under the leadership of PM Modi. “Shubhanshu ji’s achievement is a symbol of that new India, which inspires future generations to dream big and turn those dreams into reality,” she posted.
Shukla’s mission, which was launched from Florida on June 25 and docked with the ISS a day later, concluded with his return to Earth on July 15. During his 18-day stay in the orbit, he and his fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) carried out more than 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach activities.
Union minister Singh called it a moment of pride for India. “India’s Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla lands at Delhi in the early hours of morning today. Accompanying him was another equally accomplished Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India’s first Human mission Gaganyaan who was India’s designated backup for the mission to the International Space Station #ISS,” he posted on X.
Grp Capt Shukla had posted a photograph of his after boarding the aircraft back to India. In that post, he had expressed a mixture of sorrow and excitement. The sorrow was for leaving behind those with whom he had trained and worked for the past one year, while the excitement was about getting back to India.
