Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut, returned to Delhi on Sunday after his participation in NASA’s Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission. He was welcomed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Shukla’s wife. The mission commenced on June 25, with a launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, and culminated with Shukla’s return to Earth on July 15, with a splashdown near California. This mission marked a significant achievement, as he became the first Indian to travel to space in 41 years.
Leading up to his homecoming, Shukla expressed his feelings on X, noting his mixed emotions. He spoke of sadness at leaving his mission team, whom he considered friends and family, but also of excitement to reunite with loved ones. He remarked that change is constant. Shukla’s mission was part of the Axiom Space (AX-04) mission, which launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon rocket. During his time on the ISS, Shukla spent 18 days conducting scientific research in microgravity. The AX-4 mission was geared toward gathering experience for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight initiative. Shukla’s work aboard the ISS and Space Shuttle has significantly contributed to Indian space research. The knowledge gained from this mission will directly aid the Gaganyaan project, which is scheduled to begin with unmanned flights later this year. The mission also underscored the growing collaboration between India and the US in space exploration, stemming from an agreement allowing an Indian astronaut to fly to the ISS as part of a US mission.
