Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the first Indian to travel to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission.
He presented the tricolour carried to space to PM Modi, who lauded his achievement and linked it to India’s Gaganyaan mission.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor hailed him as an inspiration, while Union Minister Jitendra Singh criticised the Opposition for ignoring the milestone.
Shubhanshu Shukla Meets PM Modi After ISS Mission
India’s first astronaut to the ISS returns home, meeting the Prime Minister and receiving praise across party lines in Parliament.
Summary
A warm embrace, a tricolour from space, and a rare moment of pride marked astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg on Monday.
Shukla, who became the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, handed over the Indian flag he carried on board. “India is proud of his feat,” Modi said later in a post on X, adding that they discussed space experiences, technology, and the country’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
Parliament too celebrated his return. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla hailed Shukla as “an inspiration for the youth,” while Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called his mission a “stepping stone” for India’s human spaceflight ambitions. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, however, used the moment to criticise the Opposition for not acknowledging the achievement amid protests in the House.
Shukla launched aboard a SpaceX spacecraft from Florida on June 25 and splashed down off California’s coast on July 15, making him the first Indian in 41 years to go to space.
For Shukla, the homecoming was not just personal triumph, but a symbolic leap for India’s space dream
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