Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns to India, Receives Grand Welcome in Delhi

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from the International Space Station (ISS) after the historic Axiom-4 mission, returned to India today. Shubhanshu Shukla, who arrived in India with backup astronaut Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, was warmly welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan.

With his return to India, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. After this, he will also visit his hometown Lucknow and later participate in the National Space Day celebrations in New Delhi on August 22-23.

Shukla posted a smiling photo of himself sitting in an airplane on Instagram on Saturday, in which he wrote that he had mixed feelings while leaving the US, and he was eagerly waiting to return to India to share his experience with the countrymen.

Shukla said in the post. “I had a mix of emotions as I boarded the flight back to India. I am sad to leave behind a wonderful group of people who were my friends and family for the past year during this mission. I am also excited to meet all my friends, family and people from my country for the first time after the mission. I guess that’s what life is all about – all at once,” 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 experience with all of you. It is hard to say goodbye, but we must move on in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, ‘The only constant thing in spaceflight is change.’ I believe this applies to life as well,” Shukla also wrote, “I think at the end of the day – ‘Yun hi chala chali rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahchaaya’,” she recalled the song from the Bollywood film Swades that was on her playlist just before she took off on the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS from the US on June 25.

Prime Minister Modi had lauded Shukla’s achievements in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort and linked the astronaut’s mission to India’s goal of developing its own space station. The upcoming meeting is expected to highlight India’s future roadmap in space exploration and honour Shukla for her contribution.