Indian astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on his way back home and will arrive in India on August 17. This is the first time in nearly a year that Shukla will be returning to India after he left for the US to train for the Axiom-4 mission.
Shukla spent 20 days at the International Space Station as part of the mission, a feat that was hailed as historic in India.
Shukla, who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) in June, shared an emotional note on Instagram before boarding his flight.
“As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving behind a fantastic group of people who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission,” he wrote.
At the same time, he said he was excited to meet his family and friends back home. “I guess this is what life is — everything all at once,” he added.
Shukla returned from the ISS on July 15 from the mission that included several experiments led by ISRO. Since then, he has been undergoing post-mission rehabilitation in the US.
He said he was eager to share his experiences, which he believes will be crucial for India’s upcoming human spaceflight programme ‘Gaganyaan’, scheduled for launch in 2027.
Reflecting on his time in space, Shukla recalled advice from his commander, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson: “The only constant in spaceflight is change.” He also shared lines from the film ‘Swades’— “Yun hi chala chal rahi — jeevan gaadi hai, samay pahiya” — which he said applied to life as well.
Back home, his family is waiting for him. “We are very excited that my son is coming back. We will meet him in Delhi,” said his father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the IAF Group Captain will first meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi before travelling to Lucknow to be with his family.
In his Independence Day address, the Prime Minister praised Shukla’s achievement, saying the astronaut had “inspired a billion dreams” and given a boost to India’s space ambitions.
India reportedly spent Rs 548 crore for Shukla’s seat, as part of the Gaganyaan mission, which has a total budget of Rs 20,000 crore aimed at sending three astronauts into low Earth orbit following a series of uncrewed test flights.
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The ambitious program aims to send an Indian astronaut into space aboard an Indian rocket, launched from Indian soil, using entirely indigenous technology. If successful, India would become only the fourth country in the world to achieve this milestone, after Russia (then the USSR), the United States, and China.
