LOADING...
Summarize
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns home after historic space mission
Shukla has returned to India in the early hours

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns home after historic space mission

Aug 17, 2025
09:46 am

What's the story

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has returned to India after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS). He had been training in the US for the Axiom-4 mission over the past year. Upon his return, he was welcomed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan at the airport.

Post-mission activities

Upcoming plans and activities

Shukla is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and head to his hometown, Lucknow, soon. He also plans to return to Delhi for National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23. Before leaving the US, Shukla shared a photo of himself on an airplane with a caption expressing mixed feelings about leaving his team behind while looking forward to sharing his experiences back home in India.

Twitter Post

Shukla landed in the early hours

Mission insights

Emotional farewell post from the US

In his post, Shukla wrote about the mix of emotions he felt while returning to India. He said he was sad to leave behind a great group of people who had been his friends and family for the past year during this mission. However, he was also excited about meeting all his friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time after his mission.

Upcoming engagements

Axiom-4 mission and its significance

Shukla, who was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that launched from Florida on June 25, docked at the ISS on June 26, and returned to Earth on July 15. He conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during this 18-day mission with three other astronauts: Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).