Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission on Sunday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after, the Indian Air Force Group Captain is likely to travel to Lucknow to meet his family.
Shukla, who returned to Earth on July 15, landed in Delhi in the early hours of Sunday.
He was received at Delhi’s IGI airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, as well as his family, including his wife and son, reported ANI.
A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for #ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of PM @narendramodi.
India’s Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla… pic.twitter.com/0QJsYHpTuS
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025
Shukla was part of NASA’s Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space.
In a post on X, Singh wrote, “A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. India’s Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla lands at Delhi in the early hours of morning today. Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India’s first Human mission Gaganyaan who was India’s designated backup for the mission to the International Space Station ISS.” “Privileged to receive both of them at the New Delhi Airport along with Delhi CM Smt. Rekha Gupta, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan and later welcomed by a group of students,” he added.
