Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a special conversation on Saturday with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut currently in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.
PM Modi said,
“Today, you are far from our motherland, but you are closest to the hearts of every Indian. Your name itself means something good (Shubh), and your journey marks the beginning of a new era for India.”
I had a wonderful conversation with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he shared his experiences from the International Space Station. Watch the special interaction! https://t.co/MoMR5ozRRA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2025
Shubhanshu Shukla has made history as the first Indian to go beyond the Karman line (the boundary of space) in over 41 years, after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s famous mission in 1984.
From space, Shukla shared a proud message:
“This is not just the start of my journey to the ISS, but the beginning of India’s human spaceflight program.”
Shukla, whose call sign is Grace, flew aboard the Dragon spacecraft launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft successfully connected with the ISS on Thursday after a 28-hour journey through space.
The docking (when the spacecraft joins the space station) was completed around 4:16 PM IST, with the initial “soft docking” at 4:02 PM IST.
This moment is historic because Shukla is the first Indian ever to enter the International Space Station.
