New Delhi, Aug 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who became the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla, who was part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission to the ISS from June 25-July 15, met the prime minister at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence.
Modi welcomed Shukla, who was wearing an ISRO astronaut’s jacket, with a warm hug and walked with him with his arm on the astronaut’s shoulder.
Shukla gifted the prime minister the mission patch of the Axiom-4 mission and the Indian tricolour that he had taken with him to the ISS. This Indian tricolour was fluttering in the background on the ISS when Shukla interacted with Modi on June 29.
“Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects including his experiences in space, progress in science & technology as well as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat,” Modi said in a post on X.
The Lucknow-born astronaut was also seen showing pictures he had taken from the ISS on a tablet computer to Prime Minister Modi.
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26. He returned to Earth on 15 July.
The prime minister interacted with Shukla on June 29 in the initial days of the Axiom-4 mission that had docked at the ISS.
He had also asked the astronaut to document his learning, training and stay at the International Space Station that would help India’s future missions, including Gaganyaan.
Shukla returned to India on Sunday.
In a press interaction earlier this month, Shukla said that he had fulfilled the task entrusted to him by Prime Minister Modi to document every aspect of his mission for the benefit of India’s upcoming Gaganyaan programme.
“I remember very well the homework given to me by the prime minister. And I completed it very well. I am very excited to come back and share it with you all. I am confident that all that knowledge is going to prove extremely useful and crucial for us, for our own Gaganyaan mission,” Shukla said on August 1.
Along with three other astronauts — Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) — Shukla conducted over 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions during the 20-day Axiom-4 mission.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed to President Vladimir Putin India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict when the Russian leader apprised him on the summit talks he held with US President Donald Trump.
Trump and Putin met in Alaska for nearly three hours on Friday but the much-anticipated summit ended without a ceasefire deal.
Following the phone conversation with Putin, Modi said India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard.
“Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska,” the prime minister said in a social media post.
“India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our continued exchanges in the days to come,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Putin shared his assessment of his meeting with President Trump.
“While thanking President Putin, the prime minister underlined India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. He reiterated that India supports all efforts in this regard,” it said.
The PMO said the two leaders also touched upon a number of issues of bilateral cooperation with a view to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.
Friday’s talks between Putin and Trump was the first US-Russia summit since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday welcomed the summit and commended Putin and Trump for initiative to bring peace to Ukraine.
“India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” the MEA had said.
“Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable,” it had said.
India has been consistently calling for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
In July last year, PM Modi travelled to Moscow and told Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets.
The next month, Modi visited the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the war.
The prime minister had said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict.
