Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and shared his experiences from his journey to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Axiom-4 Space Mission. During his interaction with PM Modi, Shukla said that there is a lot of interest about India’s Gaganyaan mission around the world and that scientists and astronauts he met were keen to be part of it.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla told PM Modi about his recent interactions abroad, adding that India’s space ambitions are drawing wide international attention. He recalled how everyone he met knew about the Gaganyaan mission and were excited about it.
“Wherever I went, whoever I met, everyone was very happy to meet me, very excited. The biggest thing was that everyone knew about what India is doing in the field of space. Everyone knew about this and there were many people who were more excited about Gaganyaan than me, who were coming and asking me when is your mission going,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi: During his interaction with PM Modi, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said, “Food is a big challenge on a space station, there is less space, and cargo is expensive. You always try to pack as many calories and nutrients as possible in the least space, and… pic.twitter.com/oxZwaQ9HLv
— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2025
“People are very excited about India’s Gaganyaan mission. Many of my crew mates (of the Axiom-4 mission) wanted to know about the launch,” Shukla added.
He further said that his crew mates even took signed declarations from him s that they would be invited for the launch of the Gaganyaan mission. “They wanted to travel in our vehicle.”
He also highlighted the unique challenges of space travel, particularly food management aboard space stations while talking to PM Modi.
“Food is a big challenge on a space station, there is less space, and cargo is expensive. You always try to pack as many calories and nutrients as possible in the least space, and experiments are going on in every way,” he said.
Shukla returned to Earth in July after completing the Axiom-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He landed in the national capital in the early hours of Sunday and was welcomed by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, and ISRO officials.
PM Modi, while commending the astronaut, stressed the need for a pool of 40–50 astronauts to support India’s future space programmes. “I had said that your mission is the first step,” he remarked, adding that Shukla’s ISS experience would prove invaluable for India’s upcoming ventures.
India aims to undertake its first human spaceflight under the Gaganyaan mission in 2027, build its own space station by 2035, and land an astronaut on the Moon by 2040.
