New Delhi: Astronaut and Indian Air Force officer Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently made history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.
Shukla, who returned to Earth last month after completing a 20-day space journey as part of Axiom Mission 4, shared his remarkable experiences of life in space with the President. His mission included conducting important scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and contributing to international space research.
He was accompanied by fellow IAF officers Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair and Group Captain Punyashlok Biswal, along with ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space V. Narayanan and Director of the Human Space Flight Centre Dinesh Kumar Singh. Together, the delegation called on the President to brief her about India’s progress in human spaceflight.
According to a statement released by the President’s Office, Shukla recounted how living and working aboard the ISS was both a challenging and transformative experience. He described the rigorous training that prepared him for the mission and the unique feeling of representing India in space.
President Murmu congratulated Shukla and his team for their achievements and praised their contribution to India’s growing space ambitions. She extended her best wishes to the astronauts and ISRO scientists for their future endeavors, particularly the upcoming Gaganyaan Mission, India’s first indigenous human spaceflight program.
The meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan was seen as a proud moment for India, symbolizing the country’s rising stature in the field of space exploration and its readiness to take bold steps toward future manned missions.
