Astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday in the national capital. Shukla, who was the pilot of the Axiom-4 Space Mission to the ISS, had made history as the first Indian astronaut to step on the International Space Station (ISS).
Earlier on Monday, Shukla also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He returned to Earth on July 15 after completing the NASA mission and landed in the national capital on August 17.
Watch video here:
Axiom-4 Mission
Along with three other astronauts, Peggy Whitson (US), Sławosz Uznanski-Wiśniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), Shukla conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during the 20-day Axiom-4 mission. He lifted off from Florida on June 25, docked at the ISS on June 26, and returned to Earth on July 15.
The Prime Minister had previously interacted with Shukla on June 29, urging him to document his learning, training, and stay at the International Space Station to help with India's future missions, including Gaganyaan. Shukla, who returned to India on Sunday, had told a press interaction on August 1 that he had fulfilled this request.
"I remember very well the homework given to me by the prime minister. And I completed it very well," Shukla said. "I am very excited to come back and share it with you all. I am confident that all that knowledge is going to prove extremely useful and crucial for us, for our own Gaganyaan mission".
Also Read: PM Modi meets astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, discusses India's maiden human spaceflight programme
