Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla arrived in India in the early hours of Sunday following his landmark mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who had been training in the United States for over a year as part of the Axiom-4 mission, was received at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. His backup astronaut, Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, also returned alongside him.
A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for #ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of PM @narendramodi.
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025
India’s Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla… pic.twitter.com/0QJsYHpTuS
Shukla is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later travel to his hometown Lucknow. He will also participate in the upcoming National Space Day celebrations on August 22–23 in the capital.
“India’s space glory touches Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla, lands in Delhi,” Singh posted on X, hailing both Shukla and Nair, who was designated as India’s backup for the ISS mission under the upcoming Gaganyaan programme.
Ahead of his return, Shukla shared a heartfelt note on Instagram, reflecting on his journey. “As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions. I feel sad leaving behind friends who became family during this mission, but I’m equally excited to meet everyone back home,” he wrote. Quoting his commander Peggy Whitson, he added: “The only constant in spaceflight is change. I believe that applies to life as well.” He also recalled listening to the Bollywood track “Yun hi chala chal rahi” from Swades before embarking on the mission.
Shukla and Nair had earlier joined the Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston. Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, lauded Shukla’s achievement, noting that India was on track to develop its own space station.
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked with the ISS a day later. The crew — Shukla, US astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu — returned to Earth on July 15 after 18 days in orbit, during which they conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions.