Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is returning home to India, a month after returning from his historic ISS stay. The Indian Air Force Group Captain, who made history as the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) in 40 years, is expected to land in India on Sunday. According to reports, Shukla will be meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before heading to Lucknow to his family.
On the flight home, Shukla shared an emotional post with a smiling photograph on Instagram. “As I sit on the plane to come back to India I have a mix of emotions running through my heart,” he wrote. “I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one 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,” the caption read.
Shukla quotes his commander Peggy Whitson
Shukla went on and said farewells were tough but reflected on a piece of advice from his commander, veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson. “As my commander…fondly says “the only constant in spaceflight is change”. I believe that applies to life as well,” he wrote.
“I guess at the end of the day—‘Yun hi chala chal rahi, jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya,’” Shukla concluded.
Journey to ISS
Nicknamed “Shux” by his crewmates, Shukla spent 18 days on the ISS alongside astronauts from the US, Poland and Hungary. Together, they conducted 60 experiments representing 31 countries, including seven from India. As the first Indian to reach the ISS, his mission marks a prelude to the upcoming Gaganyaan mission.
Shux and his fellow astronauts who are part of India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, Prashanth Nair, Ajith Krishnan and Angad Pratap, will reportedly meet PM Modi on Sunday.