PM Modi Interacts With Shubhanshu Shukla, First Indian Aboard International Space Station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a video conference with Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), celebrating a landmark moment for India’s space ambitions. The interaction comes two days after Shukla made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the orbiting laboratory.
The Prime Minister’s Office shared a picture of the interaction on its official X handle, stating, “PM @narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station.”
Shukla, serving as the mission pilot, is part of the four-member international crew of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission. They launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 and successfully docked their SpaceX Dragon capsule with the ISS on Thursday after a 28-hour journey.
Following the successful launch, Prime Minister Modi had congratulated the crew, stating that Shukla “carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.” This mission marks India’s return to human spaceflight 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s pioneering journey in 1984.
Upon reaching orbit, Shukla had delivered a powerful first message, “This is the start of India’s human space program. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat,” signifying the importance of the mission for the country’s upcoming indigenous Gaganyaan program.
The Ax-4 mission, a commercial venture between Axiom Space and NASA, will see the crew spend about 14 days on the ISS. During their stay, they are scheduled to conduct over 60 scientific experiments, seven of which are proposed by Indian scientists, focusing on fields like medicine, biology, and advanced manufacturing in a microgravity environment.
The crew also includes veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson as commander, along with mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary
