Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced on Thursday that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space and the first to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is expected to arrive in India this weekend.
Singh said that during his short stay in Delhi, Shukla is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before traveling to his hometown of Lucknow to see his family. He will then return to the capital for the National Space Day celebrations on August 23.
Axiom-4 mission
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission, which lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26. Over the course of the 18-day mission, he and three other astronauts—Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary)—conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions. The mission successfully concluded on July 15 when the Dragon spacecraft carrying the crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast.
The mission is considered a significant milestone for India's own human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, which is targeting a launch by 2027. Prime Minister Modi hailed the mission, saying that Shukla has inspired a billion dreams and taken a significant step in advancing India's space ambitions.
India’s own space station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector. In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, PM Modi stated, "The nation is proud of our space sector; Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is back from the space station... in the days to come he will return to India".
He said India is striving for self-reliance in the space sector and is also preparing for the launch of Gaganyaan, the nation's flagship human spaceflight program. "We will make our own space station," he added.
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