Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, for an interaction scheduled for 5 pm, said officials.
The Air Force officer, who became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to board the International Space Station, returned to India on Sunday after a year-long stay in the United States for training under the Axiom-4 mission.
He was received at the airport by his family, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and cheering supporters carrying the national flag.
Shukla is also set to join the National Space Day events on August 23, they added.
Shukla served as the pilot on the Axiom-4 mission, which launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 and docked with the International Space Station a day later.
While aboard the ISS, he interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged him to record his experiences — including training, research, and life in orbit — to help guide India’s future space missions.
During the Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, PM Modi mentioned Shukla, saying, “Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India."
On his return journey to India, Shukla shared an emotional post on Instagram, posting a smiling photo from his flight.
He wrote that although he felt sad to part ways with his fellow crewmates from the Axiom-4 mission, he was equally excited to reunite with his family, friends, and people back home.
Source: India Today