New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned to Earth Tuesday after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is expected to arrive in India by August 17 following a series of post-mission procedures.
“There are certain SOPs to be followed… His rehabilitation, debriefing sessions and a series of discussions with Team ISRO. We might expect him in Delhi by August 17,” Singh told PTI video.
Calling the mission “unprecedented”, Singh said the experiments conducted by Shukla during his stay in the orbital laboratory were closely linked to human survival and life in microgravity.
“These experiments will be useful not just for Indians, but for all of humanity,” he said.
“It is a moment of immense joy for India that a worthy son of Bharat Mata has returned successfully today,” Singh said.
The minister said Shukla’s journey reflected India’s growing role in the global scientific community.
“As Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi always teaches us about the principle of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ and reminds us that India must fulfil its role as a global friend, today, Shubhanshu has truly acted as a representative of India on the global stage. He carried out this mission with that spirit.”
Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force and a native of Lucknow, became the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission and the first to visit the ISS.
He also spent the longest time — 20 days — in orbit among Indian astronauts.
He was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida June 25 and docked at the ISS June 26. Along with three other astronauts, Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), Shukla conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during the 18-day mission.
The Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom-4 crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast in the pre-dawn darkness at 2.31 am Pacific Time (3.01pm IST), marking the successful completion of the mission.
Minutes after landing, Shukla and the crew emerged smiling and waving, before undergoing medical checks and beginning their recovery process.
The mission is considered a significant milestone for India’s own human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, which is targeting a launch by 2027.
ISRO said Shukla has successfully completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities.
It said that experiments on the Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, sprouting of methi and moong seeds, cyanobacteria, microalgae, crop seeds and Voyager Display have been completed as planned.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier hailed Shukla’s return, saying the mission has inspired a billion dreams and marked a step forward in India’s space ambitions.
PTI
