PM Modi Gave Me Homework When I Called Him From Space: Shubhanshu Shukla At News18 Amrit Ratna Samman

Last Updated:June 17, 2026, 16:57 IST

Recalling his meeting with PM Modi, Shukla said, “When I had called the PM from space, he had given me homework."

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who received News18 India’s Amrit Ratna Samman on Wednesday, said the visual of India was the most spectacular sight from space. He also recalled the “homework" given to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shukla made history in June-July 2025 by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian ever to travel to outer space, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984. Shukla served as the primary mission pilot for the Ax-4 commercial spaceflight, which launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on June 25, 2025. He spent 18 days docked at the orbital laboratory before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 15, 2025.

Recalling his meeting with PM Modi, Shukla said, “When I had called the PM from space, he had given me homework."

“So when we met after my return, among other things, he checked whether I did it…The meeting was inspiring. We discussed the mission in detail and how India could go ahead in space exploration."

“A big team was behind my mission…Now, if India wants one of our own on the moon by 2040, it is the responsibility of the kids to fulfil that dream," he said.

“The most beautiful thing I saw was India, just like Rakesh Sharma described. When you are going from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas, the Indian peninsula is so brightly lit amid the dark waters. It is the most beautiful, spectacular sight ever…I was speechless. Flying over the land where you live was priceless…The planet looks so beautiful…The emotional connect with your country adds to the moment…Other astronauts, too, feel the same way," said Shubhanshu Shukla.

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News india PM Modi Gave Me Homework When I Called Him From Space: Shubhanshu Shukla At News18 Amrit Ratna Samman

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