Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns To India, Lok Sabha Plans Special Discussion

India's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Shubhanshu Shukla, has returned home after a successful mission. He was warmly welcomed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V Narayanan. Shukla's backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, also returned alongside him.

In honor of his achievement, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to hold a special discussion on India's space program on Monday, focusing on the critical role of space exploration in achieving the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat by 2047'.

Shukla, who was part of the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then travel to his hometown, Lucknow. He will later return to the national capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23.

Earlier, on Saturday, Shukla shared a photograph on Instagram showing him on an airplane, expressing mixed emotions as he prepared to leave the US and return to India. "As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time post-mission. I guess this is what life is-everything all at once," he wrote.

Shukla added, "Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you. Goodbyes are hard, but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, 'The only constant in spaceflight is change.' I believe that applies to life as well."

He also reflected on a song from his pre-mission playlist, writing, "I guess at the end of the day-'Yun hi chala chal rahi-jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya'," a reference to the Bollywood film Swades.

Shukla and Nair had also participated in the Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston on Friday before returning home.