Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi on Monday, August 18. The meeting came just days after Shukla returned to India on August 17, following his 18-day mission in space, which concluded on July 15.
The interaction was marked by a warm and light-hearted exchange, with the astronaut briefing the Prime Minister on the key highlights of his mission.
Shukla shared insights from his journey, spoke about scientific experiments conducted in orbit, and also brought back images clicked from space. Among the experiments he mentioned were studies on tardigrades, myogenesis, sprouting of methi and moong seeds, cyanobacteria, microalgae, and crop seeds.
A wonderful conversation with Shubhanshu Shukla. Do watch! @gagan_shux https://t.co/C3l2TNnMpo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2025
He recalled how his body reacted upon return to Earth, saying, “The brain takes time to understand that we have to walk. It does take a while to adapt back to this environment. When I came back, I was not able to walk, and people had to hold me up.” He also noted that a similar adjustment period had occurred when he first arrived at the ISS.
Shukla’s mission, conducted in collaboration with international partners under the Ax-4 programme, was a significant milestone for India’s space ambitions and offered valuable input for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
He told the Prime Minister that astronauts he worked with are eagerly awaiting India’s first human spaceflight.
“From my personal experience over the past year, wherever I went, whomever I met, everyone was very happy to meet me, excited to talk and eager to ask what we are doing and how we are doing it,” he said. “The most important part was that everyone already knew about India’s growing role in space exploration. Many people knew even more details about the Gaganyaan mission than I did, asking me when it would launch.”
During the meeting, Shukla also confirmed that he had fulfilled a task assigned by the Prime Minister before his mission — to carefully document every aspect of the journey for the benefit of Gaganyaan.
When asked, “Did you do your homework? The one I gave you?”, Shukla replied, “People used to tease me about it that ‘Your Prime Minister gives you homework!’ But I very well remember the homework.”
The conversation also touched on ways to inspire the youth towards space exploration and how India can achieve self-reliance in space technology and astronaut training.
After the meeting, Prime Minister Modi posted on X, “Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects, including his experiences in space, progress in science and technology, as well as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat.”
