Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi.
Shubhanshu Shukla, who served as the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission from June 25 to July 15, shared his experiences in space with the prime minister. “Food is a big challenge on a space station. There is less space, and cargo is expensive. You always try to pack as many calories and nutrients as possible in the least space, and experiments are going on in every way,” Shukla said.
A wonderful conversation with Shubhanshu Shukla. Do watch! @gagan_shux https://t.co/C3l2TNnMpo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2025
Astronaut Presents Tricolour and Mission Patch to PM Modi
During the meeting, Shukla presented Modi with the Axiom-4 mission patch and the Indian tricolour he carried to space. The same flag had featured in the backdrop when Shukla spoke to Modi virtually from the ISS on June 29. He also showed the prime minister photographs of Earth taken from space.
Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) (Photo: @mygovindia/X)
The Lucknow-born astronaut said he was overwhelmed by the global recognition of India’s space programme. “Wherever I went, whoever I met, everyone was very happy to meet me, very excited. The biggest thing was that everyone knew about what India is doing in the field of space. Everyone knew about this and there were many people who were more excited about Gaganyaan than me, who were coming and asking me when is your mission going,” he told Modi.
Modi Hails Astronaut’s Feat, Links to Gaganyaan Mission
Calling the interaction “a proud moment,” Modi later posted on X, “Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects including his experiences in space, progress in science & technology as well as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat.”
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Shukla, who returned to India on Sunday, said he had fulfilled Modi’s advice to document every detail of his mission for the benefit of the upcoming Gaganyaan programme.
As part of Axiom-4, Shukla and three other astronauts – Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during their 20-day mission.
