New Delhi: Group Captain Shubhamshu Shukla, the first Indian to journey to the International Space Station (ISS), returned to the country on Sunday to a rousing reception at Delhi airport. Draped in the tricolour spirit, the arrival hall echoed with cheers as his family, Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and hundreds of enthusiastic citizens waving national flags gathered to greet him.
Shukla, who served as pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS the very next day. His training in the United States had stretched for a full year before the launch. After completing his pioneering mission, Shukla and his crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California on July 15, marking the end of an extraordinary chapter in India’s space history.
The astronaut’s achievement is being hailed as a milestone for India’s space dreams. With Gaganyaan the country’s maiden human spaceflight program scheduled for 2027, and plans for an Indian space station by 2035 followed by a crewed lunar mission by 2040, Shukla’s mission has become a powerful symbol of the nation’s rising ambitions beyond Earth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who highlighted Shukla’s journey during his Independence Day address, is expected to meet him soon. The Group Captain is also slated to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 23, where his feat will be formally honoured.
For now, Shubhamshu Shukla’s triumphant return has ignited pride and excitement across the country a reminder that India’s place among the stars is no longer a dream but a steadily unfolding reality.