Latest news with #Axiom-4SpaceMission
The Hindu
a day ago
- Science
- The Hindu
Shubhanshu Shukla returns to India to a warm welcome
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India in the early hours of Sunday (August 17, 2025) after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS). Mr. Shukla, who has been in the U.S. training for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS over the past year, was welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. Mr. Shukla's backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, also returned to the homeland. #WATCH | Delhi: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla arrives back in India. He is welcomed by Union MoS for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. He was the pilot of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida,… — ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2025 Mr. Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown, Lucknow, shortly. He is also expected to return to the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22–23. India's space glory touches Indian soil... as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla, lands in Delhi in the early hours of this morning. Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prashanth 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 #ISS," Mr. Singh said in a post on X. Earlier on Saturday, Mr. Shukla had posted a smiling photograph of himself sitting in an aeroplane on Instagram, saying he was filled with mixed emotions as he left the U.S. and looked forward to returning to India to share his experiences with everyone back home. "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 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," Mr. Shukla said in the post. "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. Goodbyes are hard, but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, 'The only constant in spaceflight is change.' I believe that applies to life as well," he added. Mr. Shukla also wrote, "I guess at the end of the day – 'Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya'," recalling the song from the Bollywood movie Swades, which was on his playlist just before he embarked on the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS on June 25 from the US. Mr. Shukla and his backup astronaut Prashanth Nair participated in the Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston on Friday (August 15, 2025). Addressing the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 15, 2025) said India was developing its own space station and noted that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla had returned 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 had said. Mr. Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26. He returned to Earth on 15 July. Along with three other astronauts — Peggy Whitson (U.S.), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) — Mr. Shukla conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during the 18-day mission.
India.com
a day ago
- Politics
- India.com
Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns Home, Receives Grand Welcome At Delhi Airport
New Delhi: Returning to India for the first time after completing a successful space mission, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla arrived in the early hours of Sunday at Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital. He was welcomed by the Union Minister of State, Jitendra Singh, and the Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta. Taking to social media platform X, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, in a post, wrote: "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, lands at Delhi in the early hours of the morning today. 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 #ISS. Privileged to receive both of them at the New Delhi Airport along with Delhi CM Smt. Rekha Gupta @gupta_rekha, #ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan, and was later welcomed by a group of students." 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… — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025 Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning before travelling to his hometown of Lucknow, following a year spent in the United States training for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He is scheduled to return to Delhi to take part in the National Space Day celebrations on 22–23 August. Crowds gathered at Indira Gandhi International Airport to welcome Shubhanshu Shukla in grand fashion, with people from various parts of Delhi and neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana waving the national tricolour in anticipation of his arrival. Praising the Indian astronaut's achievement, Dinesh Choudhary, a resident of Sector-21 in Loni, Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), said, "I am extremely happy that astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from space and arrived in India today, bringing immense pride and honour to the entire nation. Through this successful mission, he has made all of India proud. We can now truly say that Bharat is indeed great." #WATCH | Delhi: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla arrives back in India. He is welcomed by Union MoS for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. He was the pilot of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida,… — ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2025 Anshu Kumar, a resident of Delhi, also expressed admiration for Shukla's feat, "Shubhanshu Shukla has brought a proud moment to our country. I wasn't able to welcome Kalpana Chawla, but today I feel privileged to greet Shubhanshu Shukla with such warmth. I hope he continues to make the nation proud in the future as well." Another citizen lauding astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, told IANS: "It makes me feel proud to welcome Shubhanshu Shukla today who has made the whole country proud. He has filled the chest of 110 crore Indians with pride and has made the Tricolour fly higher in the sky and the country needs youth such as Shubhanshu Shukla to make the country truly 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant), which is in sync with the direction and the vision which Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to take the nation forward towards. Another supporter of Shubhanshu Shukla told IANS, "We have all come here, and Shubhanshu Shukla has brought pride to the nation. There is enthusiasm across the country that we, too, should learn from him..." Earlier, while addressing the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India's plans to develop its own space station and noted that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has recently returned from a successful space mission. "Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India," PM Modi had said. Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission, which lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS on June 26. He returned to Earth on July 15. During the 18-day mission, Shukla, along with astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted more than 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions aboard the ISS. Taking to social media platform Instagram on Saturday, Shukla shared an emotional post reminiscing about his journey and the excitement of meeting with friends and family. "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," he wrote. "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," he added. In June, Shukla became the first Indian to reach the ISS. He returned on July 15, after an 18-day mission, which was packed with several experiments led by ISRO and other activities on the orbital lab. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation in the US. Shukla said that he is waiting impatiently to reach the country and share his experiences, which are going to be valuable for India's future space endeavours, especially the Gaganyaan – India's first human spaceflight mission, which is targeting a launch by 2027. "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," he added. Looking back at his colleagues, Shukla noted that although "goodbyes are hard", "we need to keep moving in life". He also shared valuable advice from his commander, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson: "The only constant in spaceflight is change." Stating that he "believes that it applies to life as well," Shukla shared a song from the Bollywood movie Swades, "at the end of the day Yun hi chala chal rahi - jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya (loosely translated as just keep walking, traveller - life is a carriage, time is the wheel)". Meanwhile, his family also expressed excitement over meeting him after his successful space mission. "I am very excited. My son has successfully completed his mission and has come back. We are very excited that my son is coming back. We are trying to meet him as soon as possible. He is coming the day after tomorrow, and we will meet him in Delhi," Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, told IANS. Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the IAF Group Captain will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi before traveling to his hometown of Lucknow to see his family. (With Inputs from IANS)
Indian Express
a day ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla reaches Delhi, set to meet PM Modi today
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission on Sunday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after, the Indian Air Force Group Captain is likely to travel to Lucknow to meet his family. Shukla, who returned to Earth on July 15, landed in Delhi in the early hours of Sunday. He was received at Delhi's IGI airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, as well as his family, including his wife and son, reported ANI. 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… — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025 Shukla was part of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space. In a post on X, Singh wrote, '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, Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla lands at Delhi in the early hours of morning today. 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 ISS.' 'Privileged to receive both of them at the New Delhi Airport along with Delhi CM Smt. Rekha Gupta, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan and later welcomed by a group of students,' he added.
New Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Ax-4 crew to leave ISS on July 14, splash down next day off California
BENGALURU: The ongoing Axiom-4 Space Mission's four-member crew in its Dragon Spacecraft — including India's Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (call sign Shux) — will undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14 at 7.05am ET (4.35pm IST), announced the ISRO and NASA teams on Saturday. As per the scheduled plan they are to splash down on July 15 off the coast of California, subject to weather conditions on the Earth, to mark the end of their 14-day mission on the ISS. Explaining the undocking, a senior ISRO scientist said that while Shux was slated to dock the spacecraft, he did it partially as the docking mainly happened in an autonomous mode. The undocking, too, will be carried out in an autonomous mode. 'Soon after splash down, he and his crew mates will need at least seven to adapt to gravity on Earth, and they will also be kept under strict medical observation for effects of the space environment on their bodies. All the experiments Shux is doing are as per schedule and the final reports will be known only after he reaches the base camp,' the scientist said. After six delays, the commercial low-Earth orbit Axiom-4 mission had finally lifted off on June 25, and the spacecraft docked with the ISS on June 26. He, along with his three crewmates from Hungary, Poland and the US, are conducting 60 experiments on board the ISS, with inputs from 31 countries. ISRO scientists added that Shux is actively advancing a suite of seven microgravity experiments as part of India's participation in the Axiom-4 mission. Of these, four experiments have been successfully completed, including one with the Indian strain of tardigrades involving their survival, revival, reproduction and transcriptome (the total messenger RNA molecules expressed from its genes); Myogenesis, studying the impact of space environment on human muscle cells; sprouting of methi and moong seeds in microgravity with relevance to crew nutrition; and Cyanobacteria experiments studying the growth of two of its varieties with relevance to life support systems. The completed microgravity experiments are being readied for their journey back to earth for further analysis. Also, three experiments are nearing completion. They include studying microalgae, crop seeds and Voyager Display – the last, investigating physical and cognitive impacts due to utilizing computer screens in microgravity.
United News of India
25-06-2025
- Science
- United News of India
PM welcomes successful launch of Axiom-4 space mission
New Delhi, June 25 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed the successful launch of the Axiom-4 Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US and said Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla carries with him wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. The Prime Minister said Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to becoming the first Indian to go to International Space Station. 'We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. The Indian Astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to becoming the first Indian to go to International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,'' the Prime Minister tweeted. The Axiom-4 Mission piloted by the decorated Indian astronaut Group Captain Shukla, along with three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 14-day experiment, lifted off from Kennedy Space Centre Florida at 12.01 pm IST (02.31 EDT). After about a 28 hour flight duration, the four crew members will dock at ISS at 7.00 am tomorrow. The Mission, in association with NASA, will herald a new milestone in India's space journey paving way for exploring new horizons. UNI RB GNK 1432
