- Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is returning to India, his first after an 18-day space mission
- He expressed mixed emotions about leaving his ISS team and meeting his family
- Mr Shukla thanked his supporters and plans to share his space mission experiences
India's astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, after his 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has announced on Instagram that he is “coming back to India.” In an emotional note, which was written from the aircraft, Shukla confessed to experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.
“As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is — everything all at once,” he said.
Mr Shukla went on to acknowledge the support he has received throughout the mission, stating, “Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you.”
The astronaut also reflected on the inevitability of change, drawing inspiration from his commander, Peggy Whitson. “Goodbyes are hard, but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, ‘The only constant in spaceflight is change'. I believe that applies to life as well.”
He signed off with a line of the song, Yun Hi Chala Chal, from Shah Rukh Khan's film Swades. “I guess at the end of the day – ‘Yun hi chala chal rahi – jeevan gaadi hai samay pahiya'.”
Mr Shukla's return comes at a time of heightened anticipation around India's space ambitions.
During his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Mr Shukla would soon be back in the country. He had assigned Mr Shukla the task of documenting his training and ISS stay, a record that will serve as a reference for Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight programme.
Over the past year, Mr Shukla has undergone extensive training at NASA, Axiom and SpaceX facilities. His flight to the ISS as part of the Axiom 4 mission marked a big step not only in his career but also in India's preparations for future human space exploration.
The Gaganyaan mission is intended to put Indian astronauts, or Gaganyatris, into orbit aboard an Indian rocket, with an entirely indigenous countdown. The government has also announced plans for a Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and a crewed mission to the moon by 2040.
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