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Shubhanshu Shukla enjoying a panoramic view of the Earth from the Cupola Module of International Space Station. (@ISROSpaceflight X/ANI Photo)
India’s second National Space Day on August 23 will be marked by a special homecoming — the country’s first four astronauts will be felicitated in the Capital by the Prime Minister, including Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from the International Space Station (ISS).
The celebration, to be held at Bharat Mandapam, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to meet astronauts Prashanth Nair (48), Ajith Krishnan (43), Angad Pratap (43), and Shubhanshu Shukla (39). National Space Day commemorates India’s historic Chandrayaan-3 mission, which in 2023 achieved the first-ever landing on the Moon’s south pole.
This year, the event will also double up as a welcome ceremony for Shukla, who splashed down off the coast of California on July 15 after an 18-day mission aboard the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 crew. Since then, he has been in Houston, Texas, re-acclimatising to Earth’s gravity — with videos showing him struggling to regain balance, a common post-mission phenomenon.
Post-mission debriefing sessions with NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are underway through early August, with some already held in the presence of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials, sources said.
While on board the ISS, Shukla had a live interaction with PM Modi, telling him, “My friends here have asked when we can go on Gaganyaan.” During the Axiom-4 farewell ceremony, he reflected on India’s transformation, saying: “Forty-one years ago, an Indian came to space and told us how India looks from up above. I think we all want to know how today’s India looks from space. I will tell you. Today’s India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks fearless, today’s India looks confident, today’s India looks full of pride — and because of these reasons, I want to say again that today’s India still looks saare jahan se achha.”
According to sources, the decision to include all four astronauts in the August 23 ceremony — and not just Shukla — was deliberate. “It was felt that the ceremony should include not just Shubhanshu but all four astronauts instead, as all of them are equally trained and qualified,” said one official.
The astronauts are part of India’s human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, under which ISRO will undertake three uncrewed missions (G1, G2, and G3), two crewed missions (H1 and H2), and three precursor missions leading to the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (G4, BAS-1, and G5). The first uncrewed flight is expected in the last quarter of this year, with the first crewed flight by early 2027.
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BAS-1, the mission that will launch the first module of India’s own space station, is planned for 2028. The goal is to complete a five-module space station by 2035.
The inaugural National Space Day last year was attended by President Droupadi Murmu, and showcased India’s space achievements and the societal impact of space exploration.
Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
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