Following his return to India after the Axiom-4 space mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and said his crewmates were excited not only to witness the launch of the country’s Gaganyaan space mission but also to travel on the Indian ship.
During the interaction, Shukla said India could also take the leadership role in building a collaborative space station like the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is currently the only orbiting research laboratory built in collaboration by the space agencies of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. India plans to set up its Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035.
With these ambitions, PM Modi said that India should have an astronaut pool of 40 to 50 people ready. To this end, he asked Shukla about the “homework” he had assigned, learning and documenting things to help with the training of his fellow astronauts and others to come. Shukla admitted that his friends on the ISS had teased him about receiving “homework” from the PM.
Inspiring children
Shukla also said that Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had gone to space when he was young, but he did not dream of becoming an astronaut because the country did not have a programme then. But since his journey to space, he has been inspiring children. He said that there was at least one child present in all three of his student interactions from space, who asked him how he could become an astronaut. “Children in today’s India no longer have to dream, they know that it is an option and it is possible for them to become an astronaut,” Shukla said.
During the meeting, Shukla presented PM Modi with the Tricolour that he had on the ISS. He also gave the prime minister the Axiom-4 mission patch which depicts the Earth at the centre of a pentagon, the names and national flags of all four astronauts including Shukla, and seven stars in the centre representing the seven continents. Shukla also showed Modi pictures of India that he had clicked from the space station — he pointed out the night sky in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, lightning over India, the Himalayas, and finally a sunrise.
PM Modi asked Shukla about the changes he felt when he returned from space, to which he responded that various changes take place when the astronauts reach space, such as the heart slowing down, and the body has to undergo the same adaptation when it returns to Earth. He said astronauts are unable to walk after landing on Earth, no matter how healthy they are. “I was feeling okay but I could not walk, people were supporting me…. The brain has to rewire to the new environment,” he said.
Asked if he had to sit still within the capsule for the entire journey to the space station, Shukla said, “The astronauts had to remain in their seats till they reached space, after which they could unbuckle and move around in the capsule, even though there was not too much space.” He said it was definitely better than the cockpits of the fighter jets he was used to.
‘Food is a big challenge in space’
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PM Modi also asked him about the crops that he had grown on the ISS to which Shukla said, “Food is a big challenge for space missions,” considering space and weight constraints and the cost of sending cargo. He said it was easy to grow the crops he did in a small dish with water. “They sprouted in eight days,” Shukla said, adding that the research may not only help in solving the challenges of food security for space missions but also here on Earth.
The Prime Minister also asked him about the impression that others had about India, to which Shukla said that everyone he met during the one year he trained and completed the Axiom-4 mission was eager to talk about what the country was doing in space. “People are very excited about India’s Gaganyaan mission,” he said, adding, “Many of my crewmates even took signed declarations from me that they would be invited for the launch of Gaganyaan mission. They wanted to travel in our vehicle.”
Shukla also said that the unwavering support received from the government — despite failures such as during the Chandrayaan-2 mission that could not land on the lunar surface — shows the world that India can keep going. “We have the ability and the position to be in a leadership role in a space station led by India, of which others are a part,” he said.
A wonderful conversation with Shubhanshu Shukla. Do watch! @gagan_shux https://t.co/C3l2TNnMpo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2025
Modi also said that Shukla’s space experience will be valuable for India’s Gaganyaan mission.
Back from the mission, Shukla gifted PM Modi tricolour that travelled to space with him. In a video shared by PM Modi on his X handle, Shukla could be seen shaking hands and sharing a hug with PM Modi. The video also shows Shukla sharing his experience the International Space Station and how human body acclimatises in space.
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Following his return from his 18-day visit to the ISS on July 15, Shukla has been in Houston, Texas, reacclimatising to the Earth’s gravity. Shukla landed in India on Monday and was greeted at the Delhi airport by Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
