PM Modi Interacts with IAF’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s First Officer on ISS

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke via video conferencing with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 Mission. Shukla is the first Indian to be stationed on the ISS, marking a landmark moment in the country’s human spaceflight program.

The Prime Minister, expressing pride in Shukla’s achievements, emphasized India’s growing role in global space exploration. “PM @narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station,” the Prime Minister’s Office posted on X (formerly Twitter), underscoring India’s commitment to expanding its space capabilities and inspiring future scientists and astronauts.

Group Captain Shukla’s mission is India’s most ambitious human spaceflight effort since Rakesh Sharma’s historic voyage 41 years ago. But unlike Sharma, who flew aboard a Soviet spacecraft, Shukla is conducting a full 14-day mission aboard the ISS, where he is engaged in 30 microgravity experiments across fields including biology, materials science, fluid mechanics, and space medicine.

Carrying a small Indian flag with him, Shukla described it as representing “all 140 crore Indians,” a symbol of national pride and technological progress. His research is expected to advance understanding of long-term human survival in space, reflecting global confidence in India’s scientific expertise.