PM Modi Interacts With Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, First Indian Aboard ISS
Shubhanshu Shulka became the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station with his successful journey as part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station.
Shukla scripted history by becoming the first Indian to set foot on the ISS and the first Indian to also travel to space, 40 years after Rakesh Sharma in 1984. He is the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to the ISS on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister's Office shared visuals showing PM Modi and Shukla smiling while interacting with each other. Their conversation will be broadcast shortly.
The PMO India in a post on X said: “PM @narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station.”
PM @narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/Q37HqvUwCd
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 28, 2025
In his welcome remarks from ISS, Shukla called it a "privilege to see Earth from this vantage point".
Speaking in Hindi, Shukla expressed heartfelt gratitude during his message to India and said: “It is because of your love and blessings that I have safely reached the ISS… The Tricolour I bear on my shoulder makes me feel as though the entire country is with me.”
After a 28-hour journey from Earth, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' docked with the ISS’s Harmony module at 6:21 a.m. ET on June 27. The crew officially entered the ISS at 8:23 AM ET, and were welcomed by NASA’s Expedition 73 crew in a traditional ceremony. Shukla officially got a Space Station pin, becoming astronaut number 634, to travel to the ISS.
"I was looking forward to this, and the crew made me feel so welcome and opened their doors for us. I feel even better and my expectations have been surpassed by the view and the current crew. The next 14 days are going to be exciting and great," he said.
The Ax-4 team will spend approximately 14 days aboard the ISS and will work on various research projects in collaboration with the Expedition 73 crew.
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