To Meet PM Modi,Shubhanshu Shukla Back In India

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla made his way back to India in the early hours of Sunday (August 17, 2025) following his groundbreaking trip to the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr. Shukla participated in the Axiom-4 private space mission, which launched from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station the following day, June 26. He made his way back to Earth on July 15.

Mr. Shukla, who spent the last year training in the U.S. for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, received a warm welcome at the airport from Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan.

634th Astronaut

Mr. Shukla’s backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, has also come back to the homeland.

Mr. Shukla is set to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and head back to his hometown, Lucknow, soon.

He’s also anticipated to come back to the capital for the National Space Day festivities on August 22-23.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr. Shukla shared a cheerful photo of himself on Instagram, sitting in an airplane. He mentioned feeling a mix of emotions as he departed from the U.S. and was excited to head back to India to share his adventures with everyone back home.

“As I sit on the plane heading back to India, I’m feeling a whirlwind of emotions. It’s tough to leave behind such an amazing group of people who have been like family to me over the past year during this mission. At the same time, I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with all my friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time since the mission ended. I suppose this is just how life goes – a mix of everything at once”, Mr. Shukla shared in the post.

After receiving so much love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I’m really looking forward to returning to India to share my experiences with all of you. Saying goodbye is tough, but we have to keep moving forward in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson often says, ‘The only constant in spaceflight is change’. I think that’s true for life too”, he mentioned.

Mr. Shukla also shared, “I suppose at the end of the day – ‘Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya”, reminiscing about the song from the Bollywood film Swades, which was playing on his playlist right before he set off on the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS on June 25 from the US.

Mr. Shukla and his backup astronaut Prashanth Nair took part in the Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston on Friday (August 15, 2025).

The First Indian Astronaut

During the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned on Friday (August 15, 2025) that India is working on its own space station and highlighted that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from a space mission.

“Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has come back from the space station. He will be returning to India soon”, Mr. Modi stated.