Shukla to meet Modi; Astronaut to be Honored

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 5 pm on Monday, August 18. The first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), Shukla is expected to receive a special honour in the Lok Sabha during

a special discussion on the impact of Shukla's space mission.

The astronaut completed a historic 18-day Axiom-4 mission at the space station and conducted over 60 experiments with three other crew members before coming back to Earth on July 15.

"We will discuss his space visit and India's space mission in detail. I hope that the way all the members of all parties took part in the discussion on Operation Sindoor, the same way all parties will congratulate Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla and Indian scientists and take part in this discussion,"

Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, told news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "... In the Parliament, today, we are going to honour Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla through a special discussion. We will discuss his space visit and India's space mission in detail. I hope that the way all the… pic.twitter.com/RdHOnQJKsR

— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025

PM Modi too lauded his achievement during the Independence Day speech, highlighting India's aspiration to become self-reliant in the space sector, including building the country's space station. 

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan in July said India plans to establish its space station by 2035, with the first module expected to be placed in orbit by 2028.  

At the time, he added that India must

triple its satellite count in three years to be on par with other countries in terms of space technology, application areas, and infrastructure by 2040. The country has 55 satellites in orbit at present.