First Indian astronaut to visit ISS heads back to Earth

Shubhanshu Shukla, an astronaut from India, has made history as the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, or ISS. His journey has captured the attention of people all over India. Shukla was part of the Axiom Mission 4, also known as Ax-4, which included four astronauts from different countries. The team left the ISS on Monday, and their spacecraft is expected to land in the ocean near California within a day. The mission was led by Peggy Whitson, a well-known former NASA astronaut, and Shukla served as the pilot. The other two crew members were from Poland and Hungary. This mission is especially important for India because it has been 41 years since an Indian astronaut last went to space. That was Rakesh Sharma, who flew with Russian cosmonauts in 1984.

The Ax-4 mission was organized by Axiom Space, a private company based in Houston, Texas. The mission was a collaboration between NASA, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the European Space Agency, and SpaceX. The astronauts were supposed to stay on the ISS for two weeks, but they ended up staying a few days longer. During their time in space, they completed 60 scientific experiments, including seven designed by ISRO. ISRO paid about 5 billion rupees, which is around 59 million dollars, to secure a seat for Shukla and to pay for his training. The experience Shukla gained is expected to help India as it prepares for future human space missions.

Before leaving the ISS, Shukla gave a farewell speech. He said that India's journey in space is just beginning and that it will be challenging, but with determination, anything is possible. He quoted Rakesh Sharma, who once said that India looked better than the rest of the world from space. Shukla added that today, India looks ambitious, fearless, confident, and proud from space. Shukla was born in Lucknow in 1985 and joined the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in 2006. He has flown many types of aircraft and has over 2,000 hours of flying experience. He described the past year as transformative and said he was carrying the hopes and dreams of a billion Indians with him. India has big plans for space exploration, including launching its first human space flight, Gaganyaan, in 2027, building a space station by 2035, and sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040. Shukla is one of four Indian Air Force officers chosen for the Gaganyaan mission.