After historic space mission, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to return home tomorrow

New Delhi: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will return to India on Sunday after his milestone journey to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant moment for the country as ISRO prepares for its first human spaceflight in 2027.

Shukla, who spent the past year in the United States training for the Axiom-4 mission, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later travel to his hometown Lucknow. According to a PTI report, he will also take part in the National Space Day events in New Delhi on August 22–23.

Sharing a smiling photograph from his flight home on Instagram, Shukla said he was experiencing “a mix of emotions” as he left behind colleagues who had become like family during the mission.

“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… I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission,” he wrote.

He expressed gratitude for the support he received, adding that his commander Peggy Whitson often reminded him that “the only constant in spaceflight is change.” Shukla also quoted a song from the film Swades that was on his playlist before launch: “Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya.”

Shukla and backup astronaut Prashanth Nair had joined Independence Day celebrations at the Indian Consulate in Houston earlier this week.

Prime Minister Modi, in his Red Fort address on the 79th Independence Day, praised Shukla’s achievement and reiterated India’s plans to build its own space station.

“Our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station. In the coming days, he is returning to India,” the Prime Minister said.

Shukla had launched aboard the Axiom-4 private mission from Florida on June 25 and reached the ISS the following day. The crew — which included Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) — spent 18 days in orbit before returning on July 15. During the mission, they carried out more than 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach sessions.