Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returned from the International Space Station after spending nearly three weeks there as part of the Axiom 4 mission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on June 28. (File/PMO)
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PM Modi said that Shukla has “inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit” by becoming India’s first astronaut to have visited the ISS.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom-4 mission crew splashed down at around 3.00 pm on Tuesday, July 15 (Indian time) after a journey that lasted for over 22 hours. The spacecraft undocked from the ISS on July 14, 2025, after completing planned activities and experiments.
In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit.”
“It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission - Gaganyaan,” he added.
Shubhanshu Shukla, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, is the first Indian to travel to the ISS and only the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma.
Axiom-4 Mission
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who piloted the Axiom-4 mission, left with the rest of the crew for the International Space Station on June 25.
Apart from Shukla, the crew includes Mission Commandor Peggy Whitson from the United States, and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.
The crew has returned after spending nearly three weeks on the ISS where they conducted over 60 microgravity experiments. They are returning with a cargo of science samples from the experiments due for shipment to researchers back on Earth for final analysis, reported Reuters.
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Axiom-4 mission marks first human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary in 40 years.
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Home/India News/PM Modi welcomes Shubhanshu Shukla back to Earth: 'Inspired a billion dreams'
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