Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla receives hero's welcome in Delhi; Lok Sabha to hold special session

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to go to space, arrived in Delhi in the early hours of Sunday after successfully completing  NASA's Axiom-4 (AX-4) space mission.

 

He was received at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and ISRo Chairman Dr V. Narayanan. Shukla’s wife Kamna Shukla was also present.

 

Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 mission that took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26. He returned to Earth on July 15.

 

Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before travelling to his hometown, Lucknow. He is also expected to return to Dehi to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23.

 

Shukla's backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, has also returned to the homeland.

 

Singh called it a proud moment for India and ISRO.

 

"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,” he wrote on X.

 

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on India's space journey and Shukla's historic mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

 

The House will debate on 'India's first astronaut aboard the ISS -- critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047' to hail India's new milestone in space journey.

 

On Saturday, Shukla shared an emotional note on social media, saying he was filled with mixed emotions as he left the US and was heading back to India.

 

"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," 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 further said.

India