Astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla spoke about his experience during the Axiom-4 space mission on Thursday. At a press conference, he recalled his time on the International Space Station (ISS) and described it as “invaluable.”
Shukla thanked the people of India for their support during his journey. “I would like to thank each and every citizen of this country who behaved in a way that made it feel like they actually owned this mission. I truly felt that this was a mission for the entire nation,” he said.
He also added an emotional message: “… Bharat aaj bhi Antariksh se saare jahaan se achha dikhta hai. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.”
Second Indian to fly into space
Shukla became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, joining the Axiom-4 mission. He thanked the Government of India, ISRO, and his colleagues for making the mission possible.
#WATCH | Delhi | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla says, “… Bharat aaj bhi Antariksh se saare jahaan se achha dikhta hai. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat…” pic.twitter.com/mvq6zoGBqV
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025
He described the powerful moment of launch in simple but striking words. “No matter how much training you have done, even after that, when you sit in the rocket and the engines ignite, when they catch fire, I think it is a very different feeling. I had not imagined how it would feel, and I was actually running behind the rocket for the first few seconds. It took me some time to catch up to it. From that moment until the time we splashed down, the experience was unbelievable.”
He admitted that he struggled to find words to explain the experience in a way that people could truly feel it.
Axiom-4 mission details
The Axiom-4 mission was launched from Florida on June 25. The spacecraft docked with the ISS a day later. Shukla returned to Earth on July 15, completing 18 days in orbit.
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During his stay, Shukla and his international crewmates — Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) — carried out over 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach activities.
Warm welcome in India
On Sunday, Shukla returned to India and received a grand welcome at Delhi airport. The next day, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The PM praised his achievement and India’s progress in space. “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,” PM Modi wrote on X.
Shukla’s journey has inspired millions in India. His words about India looking the most beautiful from space have struck an emotional chord. His mission is also seen as a big boost for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan program.
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