Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and presented him with the Aziom-4 mission patch and pictures of the earth taken from space. Shubhanshu Shukla, who hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has recently returned from the international space station and after this historic journey, he is getting a grand welcome across the country. A red carpet was laid at Delhi Airport to welcome him, while his achievement was also discussed in Parliament. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla described him as pride for India and inspiration for generations to come. During the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Shubhanshu showed pictures of India and the world from space and explained how the earth’s view fully experiences.
Shubhanshu Shukla was a member of the Azium-4 mission and spent about 18 to 20 days in space. During this time he conducted many scientific experiments and showcased India’s scientific ability internationally. He became the first Indian-American mission specialist and second Indian astronaut to lead to the international space station. Earlier in 1984, Rakesh Sharma traveled to space with the Soviet Mission. This achievement of Shukla is considered to give a new flight to India’s space ambitions.
There is also a festive atmosphere in his ancestral city of Lucknow. The Municipal Corporation has made special preparations to welcome him and the Mayor has proposed that the road leading to his house and a park should be named after him. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also described Shubhanshu as the pride of Uttar Pradesh and said that his success will inspire the youth towards science and research.
Shubhanshu’s return is important not only from scientific terms but also at political and social level. During the discussion on this issue in Parliament, many MPs said that this achievement is associated with the vision of ‘developed India 2047’ and shows that India is no longer limited to satellite launch but is also growing rapidly towards human space flight and global cooperation. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Shubhanshu and said that his visit is a moment of pride for India and generations will take inspiration from it.
This meeting of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and mission not only gives international identity to the Indian space program but also gives a message that India is set to play a leading role in space research and human missions in the coming decades.
