New Delhi: A day after returning from his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Delhi residence on Monday evening.
Draped in his ISRO astronaut’s jacket, Shukla was warmly received by PM Modi with a hug. In a symbolic gesture, the astronaut presented the Prime Minister with the Indian Tricolour that had travelled to space, along with the Axiom-4 mission patch. He also shared rare photographs of Earth clicked from the ISS.
The meeting marked a proud moment for India as Shukla, the first Indian to visit the ISS, and the Prime Minister discussed his spaceflight experiences, India’s rapid strides in science and technology, and the nation’s ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
“Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed his experiences in space, the progress in science & technology, and India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.
Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects including his experiences in space, progress in science & technology as well as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat.@gagan_shux pic.twitter.com/RO4pZmZkNJ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2025
Shukla, along with crewmates Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), returned to Earth on July 15 after undocking from the ISS, completing a 22-hour journey home.
During the 18-day-long Axiom-4 mission—codenamed ‘Akash Ganga’, the astronauts conducted over 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach sessions, marking a milestone that paves the way for India’s Gaganyaan mission.
