Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently became the second Indian to travel to space, is set to return to India on Sunday, August 17, marking his first homecoming following the successful completion of the historic Axiom-4 mission.
Shukla, who spent 20 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is currently en route to India. His return comes a month after the mission concluded with a safe splashdown on July 15.
The Axiom Mission 4 — a collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, ISRO, and Axiom Space — launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket.
The crewed Dragon capsule docked with the ISS a day later, where Shukla and his team conducted a series of microgravity and life science experiments critical to India’s future space endeavours.
India reportedly spent Rs 548 crore to secure Shukla’s seat on the mission — an investment viewed as a crucial stepping stone towards the country’s first indigenous human spaceflight under the Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2027.
Ahead of his arrival, Shukla took to Instagram to share his emotions. “As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart,” he wrote.
“I feel sad leaving behind a fantastic group of people who became my friends and family over the past year. But I’m excited to meet everyone back home. This is life – everything, all at once,” he said.
He also recalled the words of his mission commander, renowned astronaut Peggy Whitson, “The only constant in spaceflight is change.” Quoting a Hindi line from a popular song, he added, “Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai, samay pahiya.” (Keep moving – life is a vehicle, and time its wheel.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, lauded the accomplishments of India’s space programme and confirmed Shukla’s return.
“The achievements of the space sector are making the entire nation proud. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station and will be arriving in India in the coming days,” he said.
Shukla is expected to meet the Prime Minister and brief him on his mission and findings — insights that will play a vital role in India’s human spaceflight programme.
In a further boost to India’s space ambitions, PM Modi also announced plans to establish a fully indigenous space station and highlighted the growing ecosystem of space technology, revealing that over 300 Indian startups are currently dedicated to the space sector.
Shukla’s return not only marks a proud moment for the country but also reaffirms India’s growing presence in global space exploration.
