Will Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Return to India Today to Meet PM Modi?

New Delhi, Aug 17 (NationPress) Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is returning to India today after his groundbreaking journey to the International Space Station (ISS). He is anticipated to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before heading back to his hometown, Lucknow.

Shukla has spent the last year in the U.S. preparing for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, and he will be in Delhi to take part in the National Space Day celebrations scheduled for August 22 to 23.

During the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, PM Modi emphasized India's ambitions to create its own space station and acknowledged Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's return 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 remarked.

Shukla was involved in the Axiom-4 private space mission, which launched from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS the following day. He returned to Earth on July 15.

Throughout the 18-day mission, Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (U.S.), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions aboard the ISS.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Shukla expressed his emotions about returning home, stating, "As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past 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 continued.

In June, Shukla made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the ISS.

After his July 15 return from an 18-day mission filled with experiments led by ISRO and various activities on the orbital lab, he has been undergoing rehabilitation in the U.S.

Shukla expressed his eagerness to return to India and share his experiences, which he believes will be beneficial for the country's future space initiatives, particularly Gaganyaan – India's first human spaceflight mission, aiming for a 2027 launch.

"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," he remarked.

Reflecting on his colleagues, Shukla acknowledged that while "goodbyes are hard", "we need to keep moving in life". He shared valuable advice from his commander, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson: "The only constant in spaceflight is change."

He related this to life, quoting a song from the Bollywood film Swades: "At the end of the day Yun hi chala chal rahi - jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya" (loosely translated to mean just keep walking, traveler - life is a carriage, time is the wheel).

His family is equally thrilled about his return following his successful mission. Shambhu Dayal Shukla, Shukla's father, shared his excitement: "I am very excited. My son has successfully completed his mission and has come back. We are very excited that my son is coming back. We are trying to meet him as soon as possible. He is coming the day after tomorrow, and we will meet him in Delhi."

Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that the IAF Group Captain will meet Prime Minister Modi in Delhi before making his way to his familial roots in Lucknow.