‘Inspired A Billion Dreams’: PM Modi Hails Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla On Return To Earth

Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 15:36 IST

Shukla is the first Indian to step aboard the ISS and only the second Indian to go into space, following Rakesh Sharma.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the Space Station as part of a commercial mission operated by Axiom Space. (IMAGE: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla back to Earth after his historic mission to the Space Station, calling it a moment that “inspired a billion dreams." Shukla, a decorated Indian Air Force officer, became the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, completing an eighteen-day-long joint mission with NASA that is seen as a key step towards India’s upcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.

The 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot completed his maiden space voyage as part of the Axiom-4 mission, a commercial spaceflight supported by ISRO and NASA and operated by Axiom Space. He is the second Indian to go into space, following Rakesh Sharma’s iconic flight in 1984.

“I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit. It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan," PM Modi said in an X post.

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