In an atmosphere of national pride, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first astronaut and IAF test pilot, was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence today. Shukla showed the Prime Minister the Indian flag he personally carried to space during the great Ax-4 mission, symbolic of the evolving capabilities of India in human space flight.
PM Narendra Modi tweets, “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.”
(Pics: PM Narendra… pic.twitter.com/OTxCPEDKeq
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025
A Journey Beyond Earth
During the high-profile meeting, the astronaut shared with the Prime Minister his experience of the trailblazing mission and some of the technical challenges and elation from staying in space at the ISS.
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His work included advanced experiments on human physiology in microgravity, techniques of innovative space agriculture, and other scientific studies with direct relevance to India’s Gaganyaan homegrown human spaceflight initiative. These experiments will play a major role in shaping the future missions of India in that area and reinforce India’s standing in the global space community.
National Recognition and Inspiration
But Prime Minister Modi appreciated Shukla for much more than just technical achievements, claiming that he had also inspired an entire generation to look beyond earth boundaries.
The symbolic flag, carried by Shukla in orbit, belonged to India’s ambitions on long-duration space operations and emphasizes growing contributions in international space exploration.
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Parliament: Tribute to a Space Pioneer
House formally recognized Shukla and his achievements in a special session held on Monday. Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, congratulated the astronaut, particularly emphasizing the mission’s importance to India in terms of the nation’s aspirations in space.
But without any Opposition in attendance, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor celebrated Shukla’s accomplishments on social media, calling the Ax-4 mission a summit moment in India’s human spaceflight journey.
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Carrying Forward India’s Gaganyaan Vision
The Ax-4 international mission, conducted in partnership with international partners, imparted critical learning and experience, enhancing India’s capabilities in space operations. Not only does Shukla’s journey process the country’s scientific credentials, but it also directly feeds into the Gaganyaan program, the ambitious human spaceflight project of India. His success is a bridge between aspiration and achievement inspiring a new generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
For India, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s voyage into space is a momentous event that will go down in history as one of the high points in the story of India’s space adventure-an adventure as much about courage as it is about innovation and national pride reaching new heights, quite literally.
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