Astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: Astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was accorded a rousing reception upon his arrival in his hometown Lucknow on Monday, said that India would achieve major milestones in the field of space technology in the next few years and would be part of many important missions.
Addressing the students at the school from where he completed his studies, Shukla said that India would send astronauts to the Moon independently by 2040 and asked them to start preparing for the mission.
Narrating his experience aboard the spacecraft, the IAF Group Captain said that it was very challenging. ‘’There are difficulties in the beginning but later on your body adapts,’’ he added.
‘’It was an emotional moment to see India from space,’’ Shukla said. He said that India had demonstrated its capabilities in the space field before the world.
A large crowd of people had gathered there to greet him upon his arrival. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak and Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal were also present there.
Shukla took part in a victory parade from the airport to Gomti Nagar amid slogans hailing his achievement. People were lined up on both sides of the streets to have a glimpse of the local boy. Hoardings were put at all important intersections welcoming Shukla to his hometown.
It was an emotional moment for the parents of the ISS astronaut who met their son after one and half years. Shukla’s mother was seen wiping her tears upon meeting him at the airport.
Shukla also met UP CM Yogi Adityanath, who congratulated him on his successful space mission.
Shukla, a pilot in the IAF, was selected as an astronaut for the Gaganyan Mission in 2019. From 2019 to 2021 he underwent Basic Astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia. He completed training in SpaceX in 2025.
Earlier Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had made the journey into Space as part of a Soviet Mission in 1984.
Alongwith Shukla, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, Hundary’s Toboor Kapu and Commander Peggy Whitson were also aboard the Spacecraft.
The crew of the AXIOM-4 Mission had headed to the ISS (International Space Station) and conducted scientific experiments during their fortnight long mission. He and the other crew members returned to Earth on July 14.