Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who completed the NASA Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission, landed in New Delhi on Sunday. He was greeted at Indira Gandhi International Airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and his wife, Kamna Shukla. Shukla’s mission began on June 25 with a launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, and concluded with his return to Earth on July 15, with a splashdown off the coast of California. His journey made him the first Indian in over four decades to venture into space.
Before returning, Shukla posted a heartfelt message on X, sharing his mixed emotions. He described feeling sad to leave behind his colleagues, but also excited to see his family and friends. He wrote that life is constantly changing. Shukla’s participation was part of the Axiom Space (AX-04) mission, which launched via SpaceX’s Falcon rocket. During his 18-day stay on the ISS, he conducted scientific experiments in microgravity. The mission was designed to benefit India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Shukla performed multiple experiments, contributing to India’s space research. The lessons learned from his mission will directly support India’s Gaganyaan project, beginning with unmanned flights in the coming year. The mission also underscored the growing space collaboration between India and the United States, supported by an agreement allowing an Indian astronaut to join a US mission on the ISS.