Astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday spoke about his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after returning to India.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Shukla, who became the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission, said the prime minister asked him first whether he had done the “homework” assigned to him.
“First of all, he (PM Modi) asked me whether I had done my homework or not, that was his very first question. After that, we had a very good discussion about the mission (Axiom-4),” Shukla said, according to PTI.
Shukla, who became the second Indian to undertake a spaceflight, said the prime minister asked in detail about how the mission was executed.
"He asked me in detail how it was executed. Then he gave several directions on how we should utilise space to achieve the vision of 'Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047, how space can be used for nation-building, and what all we can do in this field. He also gave me the responsibility to share this story with children, to excite them, and to show them the possibilities that India is already working on and where they need to aim for in the future," the Indian astronaut added.
{{/usCountry}}"He asked me in detail how it was executed. Then he gave several directions on how we should utilise space to achieve the vision of 'Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047, how space can be used for nation-building, and what all we can do in this field. He also gave me the responsibility to share this story with children, to excite them, and to show them the possibilities that India is already working on and where they need to aim for in the future," the Indian astronaut added.
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Shubhanshu Shukla met PM Modi at his residence in New Delhi on Monday, a day after returning to India.
The two discussed India’s upcoming space projects, the challenges of life in orbit, and the potential of indigenous research to aid both astronauts and food security on Earth.
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Modi had also asked about international reactions to India’s progress in space. Shukla said his colleagues “were very happy to meet me, very excited to speak… Most importantly, everyone knew about Bharat’s progress in the field of space. Many people were even more excited about Gaganyaan than I was.”
Shubhanshu Shukla's mission
Shukla’s mission, which was launched from Florida on June 25 and docked with the ISS a day later, concluded with his return to Earth on July 15.
During his 18-day stay in orbit, he and his fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) carried out more than 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach activities.