'Furthest from motherland, closest to hearts': PM Modi to Shubhanshu Shukla

PM Modi congratulated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla aboard the ISS during Axiom-4, as India returned to space after more than four decades

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a video call with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission — marking India’s return to space after more than 41 years.

 

“You are furthest from the motherland, but closest to the hearts of Indians,” the Prime Minister told Shukla. He added, “Aapke naam mein bhi shubh hai aur aapki yatra naye yug ka shubharambh bhi hai (Part of your name also means auspicious, and your journey is an auspicious start to a new age). Though only the two of us are speaking, the emotions of 140 crore Indians are with me. My voice carries the excitement of the entire country.”

 

‘This journey belongs to the nation’

Shukla thanked the Prime Minister and said it was an honour to represent India in space. “I am fine and safe here. This is a new and extraordinary experience. This journey is not only mine, but that of the entire nation,” he said.

 

He also acknowledged the changing aspirations of young Indians: “Under your leadership, today’s India offers many opportunities for people to fulfil their dreams. I am proud to represent the country on this global platform.”  "Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohat bhavya dikta hain, jitna ham map pe dekhten hain, usse kahin jyada bada (When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India looks very grand, very big, much bigger than what we see on the map)," Group Captain Shukla said during his interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Shukla also said he was also scheduled to conduct an experiment on the growth of microalgae, which are highly nutritious, in microgravity conditions. "If methods can be developed to grow them (microalgae) in larger quantities based on the findings in space, it could significantly aid food security on Earth," Shukla told the PM.

 

Shukla has become the first Indian to cross the Kármán line — widely regarded as the edge of space — since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission in 1984.   

"Namaskar from space": Shubhanshu Shukla sends new message

 

Earlier, from space, Shukla had shared a message: “This isn't the beginning of my journey to the ISS, but the beginning of India's human space flight programme.”

Successful docking with ISS marks key milestone

The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom-4 crew — including Shukla, whose call sign is “Grace” — successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, 26 June.

 

The capsule, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center a day earlier, performed a series of precise orbit-raising manoeuvres during its 28-hour flight to the ISS. Docking sensors were activated as the capsule aligned with the station, completing a soft docking at 16:02 IST. The full docking sequence was completed by 16:16 IST.

 

While the manoeuvre was standard for a Dragon mission, it marked a historic moment for Shukla and for India’s aspirations in human spaceflight.