Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla arrived in New Delhi on Sunday following his return from the Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission, a collaborative effort between NASA and SpaceX. At Indira Gandhi International Airport, he was greeted by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and his wife, Kamna Shukla. The mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, on June 25 and concluded with a splashdown off the coast of California on July 15. Shukla’s journey made him the first Indian to venture into space in 41 years.
Before his return to India, Shukla shared his sentiments on X, acknowledging the mixed emotions he was experiencing. He expressed both sadness about leaving his team and excitement about seeing his family. He reflected on the nature of life’s constant changes. Shukla’s journey was part of the Axiom Space (AX-04) mission, which launched via SpaceX’s Falcon rocket. He spent 18 days on the ISS, conducting various scientific experiments in a microgravity environment. The AX-4 mission was designed to provide practical experience for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Shukla conducted multiple experiments, contributing to India’s space research. The learnings from this mission will support India’s Gaganyaan project, which will initially involve unmanned flights. The mission also highlighted the deepening space cooperation between India and the United States, underscored by an agreement allowing an Indian astronaut to participate in a US mission to the ISS.