Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla at his residence in New Delhi, a day after the Indian Air Force officer returned from his historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Modi greeted Shukla, who was wearing an ISRO astronaut’s jacket, with a warm embrace. During the meeting, Shukla presented the Prime Minister with the official Axiom-4 mission patch and shared photographs of the Earth taken from the ISS. Shukla is the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station.
Shukla, an officer of the Indian Air Force, piloted the NASA-led mission and returned to Earth on July 15 after spending several days onboard the ISS. He arrived in New Delhi early on Sunday and was welcomed by senior officials.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla hailed Shukla’s achievement, describing it as “a matter of pride and inspiration for Indian citizens”. “His space mission and successful return are not merely about the success of the mission, but a matter of pride and inspiration for Indian citizens. Shukla’s achievement is an inspiration for the youth,” Birla said during a brief discussion on the role of India’s space programme in achieving ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
Also read: India celebrates astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's homecoming
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh criticised the opposition for not recognising the country’s scientific accomplishments. “Your anger can be with the government. Your anger can be with the BJP and the NDA. But it is surprising that you can be angry with an astronaut… who is also a disciplined soldier of the Indian Air Force,” he said amidst slogan shouting by Opposition MPs demanding discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of the voter list in Bihar.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, praised Shukla’s mission and said it served as an important step towards India’s human spaceflight ambitions under the Gaganyaan programme.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway in Shukla’s hometown of Lucknow to honour him. The city’s mayor, Sushma Kharakwal, said the municipal administration has moved a proposal to name a road and a park after him. “We are fortunate that today, a person from Lucknow is known in the world,” she said, adding that councillors would receive him at the airport on his arrival.
Shukla travelled to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft which lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25. He splashed down off the California coast on July 15.
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