Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to undertake a spaceflight as part of the Axiom-4 mission, has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
#WATCH | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was the pilot of Axiom-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS), meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. pic.twitter.com/0uvclu9V2b
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025
After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Shukla will make a visit to his home town Lucknow. He will then return to Delhi to take part in National Space Day celebrations on August 22–23.
When did Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India?
After his journey to the International Space Station (ISS), astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India and arrived at the Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi on 17th August, 2025, Sunday. Mr Shukla was greeted by Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, Union minister of science and technology and earth sciences Jitendra Singh, and ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan among others.
What were the scientific contributions made by Shubhanshu Shukla?
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has completed seven major experiments designed by the Indian scientific institutions under the ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre during his ISS stay-
1. Tardigrade Surrvivability
This experiment involved studying the robustness of the Indian tardigrades in the microgravity.
2. Muscle Development (Myogenesis)
Muscle loss and tissue regeneration were examined in this experiment.
3. Seed germination
Mr Shukla conducted seed germination experiments by cultivating the ‘moong’ and ‘methi’ seeds to assess the farming potential of the space.
4. Cyanobacteria research
Mr Shukla also conducted experiments on cyanobacteria strains on the ISS to study sustainability of humankind in space. Space driven photosynthesis and oxygen generation were also tested for the closed-loop life support.
5. Microalgae growth
One of Mr Shukla’s other experiments in the space focussed on micro-algae, tiny organisms that are being explored as a potential rich source of food in future space missions.
6. Cognitive performance
In this experiment, cognitive load and its adaptation to the space environments, were measured by Mr Shukla.
7. Material science
In this experiment, Shubhanshu Shukla analysed how new materials are affected by material science.
Also read: Shubhanshu Shukla May Meet PM Narendra Modi Post His Return To India On August 17
