Shubhanshu Shukla to Return to India Tomorrow, Likely to Meet PM on Monday Sources. Shubhanshu Shukla is returning to India for the first time after leading the successful Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, celebrated as India’s 21st-century space hero, is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Monday, sources said.
During the meeting, he may share his experiences from the successful Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, offering valuable insights that could aid India’s maiden human spaceflight programme under Gaganyaan.
Shubhanshu Shukla, on his way back to India after successfully piloting the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, shared an emotional note along with a smiling photo from the plane.
He expressed mixed feelings about leaving behind the colleagues who became his family during the year-long mission, while also being excited to reunite with his loved ones and fellow Indians. Reflecting on the moment, he wrote that life often brings “everything all at once,” capturing both the sadness of farewell and the joy of homecoming.
Shubhanshu Shukla Reflects on Change and Life Lessons from Space
Sharing an emotional note, Shubhanshu Shukla said that goodbyes are always difficult but moving forward is part of life.Recalling his commander @astro_peggy’s words, he noted that “the only constant in spaceflight is change,” a principle he feels resonates with life itself.
Summing up his feelings poetically, he added, “Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya,” symbolizing life’s unending journey with time as its wheel.
Shubhanshu Shukla will land in India tomorrow, making his highly anticipated return after the successful Axiom-4 mission. Apart from meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he will also take part in the National Space Day celebrations on August 23.
The astronaut had returned to Earth last month after an 18-day stay aboard the ISS, where he carried out seven India-specific experiments. These experiments have now been brought back for review by Indian scientists, with results expected to be released soon.
During his training and space mission, Prime Minister Modi had requested Shubhanshu Shukla to document every detail of his journey. This record will serve as a vital handbook for India’s maiden human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
India’s ambitious Gaganyaan programme aims to send an astronaut to space on an Indian rocket from Indian soil, powered entirely by indigenous technology. If achieved, India will join Russia, the US, and China as the fourth nation capable of human spaceflight. Notably, China was the last to do so in 2003, and no other country has since managed human spaceflight with its own technology.
Shubhanshu Shukla to Guide India’s Human Spaceflight Mission; Standby Astronaut Nair to Join Efforts
After over a year of intensive training at NASA, Axiom, and SpaceX facilities in the US, Shubhanshu Shukla has laid the groundwork for India’s maiden human spaceflight programme. Now returning to India, he will play a crucial role in preparing the country for the landmark mission.
Group Captain Prashant Balakrishna Nair, who served as the standby astronaut for the Axiom mission, has undergone the same training and is also expected to contribute significantly to Gaganyaan.
India is rapidly advancing in the space sector, with long-term plans to establish its own space station within the next decade. In his Independence Day address yesterday, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the vision of building the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and landing an Indian on the moon by 2040.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronaut-designates, had been selected earlier to train for the Gaganyaan mission. Their preparation marks a critical step toward India’s ambitious human spaceflight and deep-space exploration goals.
For the Gaganyaan mission, India’s Launch Vehicle Mark-3 has been upgraded for human spaceflight, but challenges remain with the crew module. Mastering the environmental life support system is taking longer since its components must be indigenously developed.