Watch: Shubhanshu Shukla smiles, waves after returning to Earth from 18-day ISS mission

VIDEO | Axiom-4 Mission: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is all smiles as he exits the Dragon capsule after a successful return to Earth following an 18-day stay at ISS.

(Source: Third party)

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/iiqXNMnZfI

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 15, 2025

With this flight, Shukla becomes the first Indian to board the ISS and only the second Indian to travel to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s iconic mission in 1984.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his congratulations, he wrote: “I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit.”

The Prime Minister added that this moment marked another important step toward India’s own human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, expected to launch in the near future.

During the mission, Shukla served as pilot of Axiom-4 alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson — a veteran NASA astronaut — and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The crew carried out a range of scientific experiments and engaged in outreach activities, inspiring students and space enthusiasts across the globe.