WATCH: Shubhanshu Shukla lands in Delhi, receives grand welcome at airport

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space, returned home in the early hours of Sunday after completing his mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Nasa’s Axiom-4 program. He was received at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport by his wife Kamna, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.

A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for #ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of PM @narendramodi.

India’s Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla… pic.twitter.com/0QJsYHpTuS

— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 16, 2025

The Indian Air Force test pilot, who splashed down off the California coast on July 15 after an 18-day stay aboard the ISS, is the first Indian in 41 years—since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984—to travel to space, and the first ever to visit the ISS. The mission had lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25.

Senior officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were also present to welcome him.

Next, Shukla will now travel to Lucknow to reunite with his family and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days. He is set to resume training for the Gaganyaan Mission, due to launch in October.

Ahead of his return, Shukla shared an emotional message about his journey, “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 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. I guess this is what life is — everything all at once.”

The Ax-4 mission, part of Axiom Space’s commercial spaceflight programme, carried out critical research, international outreach, and operational work aimed at advancing next-generation space technologies. Shukla’s participation marked another milestone in India’s growing presence in global space exploration.