Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from NASA’s Axiom-4 (AX-4) space mission, marking the first spaceflight by an Indian in 41 years. During the interaction, Shukla highlighted that people across the world are eagerly awaiting India’s Gaganyaan mission.
Shukla shared that his international crew members were so enthusiastic about Gaganyaan that they made him promise to invite them to its launch. “Wherever I went, people knew about India’s progress in space and were especially excited about Gaganyaan,” he said.
PM Modi asked him about life in space and the challenges of returning to Earth. Shukla explained that while astronauts adapt to microgravity within days, re-adjusting on Earth takes time. “Even though I was healthy, I couldn’t walk properly when I landed. People had to hold me for support,” he recalled.
The discussion also touched on space farming experiments, where Shukla explained the use of moong and methi (fenugreek) as sustainable food sources, given their ability to sprout quickly with minimal resources.
Reflecting on his journey, Shukla said his mission is only the beginning and that India must now build a larger pool of astronauts. “When Rakesh Sharma went to space in 1984, becoming an astronaut seemed impossible. Today, children ask me how they can become astronauts. This shows the dream is alive in India,” he said.
PM Modi emphasized the need to train 40–50 astronauts in the coming years and underlined India’s big upcoming goals, including the space station project and Gaganyaan mission.
Shukla praised the government’s sustained commitment to space exploration, noting how setbacks like Chandrayaan-2 did not deter India from achieving the success of Chandrayaan-3. He added that India has the potential to emerge as a global leader in space technology with its focus on self-reliant development.
Shukla returned to Earth on July 15, after completing the 20-day AX-4 mission, which launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on June 25 and splashed down off the coast of California.