Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla received a hero’s welcome in the early hours of Sunday as he arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after completing his landmark mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha, the Lower House will hold a special discussion on Monday on “India’s first astronaut aboard the ISS— critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
The session is expected to break the deadlock in Parliament by hailing India’s new milestone in space exploration.
Shukla, who undertook a two-week-long mission aboard the ISS in June and July, was greeted at the airport by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh and hundreds of citizens who turned out to celebrate his return.
The debate on India’s space journey comes amid Opposition protests over alleged manipulation of voter lists and the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
Shukla became the second Indian to travel to space after IAF Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, joining the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS in June. He returned to Earth on July 16. The Axiom-4 mission also marked a renewed entry into human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary after more than four decades.
Representing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Shukla’s mission is seen as a critical stepping stone for India’s Gaganyaan programme and for the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the country’s planned space station.
President Droupadi Murmu, in her Independence Day eve address to the nation, hailed Shukla’s achievement. “I am sure that Shubhanshu Shukla’s space journey to the International Space Station has fired a whole generation to dream bigger. It will prove extremely helpful for India’s upcoming human space flight programme, ‘Gaganyaan’,” she said.
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The Department of Space described the mission as one of “strategic importance,” reflecting India’s determination to establish itself as a serious contender in human space exploration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded Shukla during his 79th Independence Day address.
“Every citizen of the country is seeing the wonders of the space sector and is filled with pride. And our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. He is also coming to India in a few days. We are also preparing for Aatmanirbhar Bharat Gaganyaan on our own in space. We are working towards building our own space station on our own,” he said.
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