&w=3840&q=100)
WATCH: Shubhanshu Shukla lands in Delhi, receives grand welcome at airport
Group Captain Shukla is the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS) and only the second Indian to go to space. (Photo: Nasa/PTI)
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space, returned home in the early hours of Sunday after completing his mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Nasa's Axiom-4 program. He was received at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport by his wife Kamna, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.
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.
India's Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla… pic.twitter.com/0QJsYHpTuS — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Indian Air Force test pilot, who splashed down off the California coast on July 15 after an 18-day stay aboard the ISS, is the first Indian in 41 years—since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984—to travel to space, and the first ever to visit the ISS. The mission had lifted off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25.
Senior officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were also present to welcome him.
Next, Shukla will now travel to Lucknow to reunite with his family and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days. He is set to resume training for the Gaganyaan Mission, due to launch in October.
Ahead of his return, Shukla shared an emotional message about his journey, 'As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is — everything all at once.'
The Ax-4 mission, part of Axiom Space's commercial spaceflight programme, carried out critical research, international outreach, and operational work aimed at advancing next-generation space technologies. Shukla's participation marked another milestone in India's growing presence in global space exploration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Lok Sabha to hold special discussion on the impact of Astronaut Shukla's space mission
After a near wash-out over the Opposition's demand for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar — which the government rejected — during the last four sittings of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the government has now listed a 'special discussion on India's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station and the critical role of the space programme for a Viksit Bharat by 2047' in Monday's (August 18, 2025) Lok Sabha agenda. The discussion has not been listed in the Rajya Sabha. Normally, before a special discussion is decided for either House, it is taken up at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). However, no BAC meeting was held last week. The Opposition has not yet decided whether it will participate in this discussion. 'We will take a call at the Monday morning meeting of the Opposition floor leaders,' Congress's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Kodikunnil Suresh, told The Hindu. Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India in the early hours of Sunday (August 18, 2025), after his visit to the International Space Station. Mr. Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. During his address at the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Friday (August 15, 2025), Prime Minister Modi said India was developing its own space station and highlighted Group Captain Shukla's return from a space mission. 'Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India,' Mr. Modi said.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Shubhanshu Shukla accorded warm welcome at IGI by Dr Jitendra Singh, Delhi CM & ISRO chairman
New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) Astronaut Group Captain (IAF) Shubhanshu Shukla during early hours of Sunday was accorded a rousing welcome at Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital upon his return to the nation. Citizens carrying tricolor, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, along with others received Shukla at the airport in a bid to celebrate his return after the historic journey from space. Minister Singh taking to social media expressed, " 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 Narendra Modi. India's Space Glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, Shubhanshu Shukla lands at Delhi in the early hours of morning today." SIngh added, "Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India's first Human mission Gaganyaan who was India's designated backup for the mission to the International Space Station. Privileged to receive both of them at the New Delhi Airport along with Delhi CM Smt. Rekha Gupta." People welcomed him with drums, flowers and hailed his achievement as a proud moment for the entire nation. Shukla, after concluding his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), returned to the planet in July. He is the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma, who went on a space mission in 1984. Shukla's mission where he represented the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the learning from the same will contribute to the country's future space research and missions. Earlier while boarding the plane to India, taking to social media platform X, Shukla wrote, " As I sit on the plane to come back to India I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is - everything all at once. Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you." UNI APS GNK
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
At a Punjab varsity, ‘sign lingua franca' for the hearing impaired
Patiala: Researchers at Punjabi University, Patiala, have developed a system that automatically converts spoken Punjabi into Indian Sign Language (ISL) – a technology that can be tweaked to fit any Indian language, giving hope to lakhs of hearing-impaired people. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It integrates cutting-edge speech recognition, natural language processing, and synthetic animation to convert spoken words into ISL gestures in real time. ISL is different from American Sign Language (ASL) and is suited to Indian needs. Funded by the department of science and technology (DST), Govt of India, the technology bridges the communication gap for hearing-impaired individuals, fostering greater inclusion and accessibility. The research project is led by Williamjeet Singh, project supervisor and assistant professor, department of computer science and engineering, with Amandeep Singh as research project assistant. The research has been published in the international journal 'Multimedia tools and applications'. The researchers aim to expand the system to support additional languages, making it accessible to a broader audience. "We are working to launch a mobile application by the end of this year," said Williamjeet. "The system is designed to empower the hearing-impaired community by enabling seamless communication in education, healthcare, and public services," Williamjeet said. "The lack of a universal sign language and limited knowledge of ISL among non-hearing-impaired individuals often create barriers, leading to exclusion and restricted opportunities for the hearing-impaired. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Our system addresses these challenges by converting spoken Punjabi into ISL," said Williamjeet. It employs the Hamburg Notation System (HamNoSys) to represent sign gestures and Signing Gesture Markup Language (SiGML) to generate animated 3D sign sequences, he explained. The system includes an ISL dictionary that captures both manual (hand gestures) and non-manual (facial expressions and body movements) features, ensuring accurate and natural sign representation. Amandeep Singh said that the system leverages two approaches for sign language representation: synthetic animation and video-based sign presentation. The researchers have put the system through rigorous testing to demonstrate its efficiency, accuracy, and practical usability, said Amandeep. "It supports multilingual speech input, including Punjabi, English and Hindi, and is accessible on both web and mobile platforms. Beyond facilitating daily communication, it serves as an educational tool, enabling users to learn new signs and improve their communication skills," he said. Vice-chancellor Jagdeep Singh congratulated the research team and said, "This innovation promises to transform the lives of millions of hearing-impaired individuals in India and beyond, offering new opportunities for inclusion and interaction. The project's success underscores the transformative potential of technology in tackling societal challenges. By converting spoken words into visual signs, this system brings the world closer to the hearing-impaired, giving voice to their needs and aspirations through the language of signs. "
