New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla, who participated in the Axiom-4 commercial mission to the ISS from June 25 to July 15, met the prime minister at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. Modi welcomed him with a warm hug and walked alongside him, arm draped over the astronaut’s shoulder, as Shukla wore his ISRO astronaut jacket.
During the meeting, Shukla presented Modi with the Axiom-4 mission patch and the Indian tricolour that he had taken to space. This tricolour had flown aboard the ISS and was visible during his interaction with the prime minister on June 29.
“Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed his experiences in space, developments in science and technology, and India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his achievement,” Modi wrote in a post on X.
The Lucknow-born astronaut also shared pictures he had taken from the ISS on a tablet with the prime minister. Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission, which lifted off from Florida on June 25, docked at the ISS on June 26 and returned to Earth on July 15.
Prime Minister Modi had first interacted with Shukla on June 29, during the early days of the mission. He had requested the astronaut to document his experiences, training, and stay aboard the ISS to aid India’s future space missions, including Gaganyaan. Shukla returned to India on Sunday.
In a press briefing earlier this month, Shukla said he had fulfilled the task assigned by the prime minister. “I clearly remember the homework given to me by the prime minister, and I have completed it. I am excited to share it with everyone. I am confident that all the knowledge gained will be extremely useful for India’s Gaganyaan mission,” he said on August 1.
During the 20-day Axiom-4 mission, Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions.
