Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video call with Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. Shukla, joined by three fellow astronauts, launched to the ISS on June 25 aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, marking a significant milestone as the first Indian astronaut in space in over four decades.
The Prime Minister’s Office shared a snapshot of the interaction on its official X account, stating, “PM
@narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station.” Modi also posted a video of their conversation on X, noting, “I had a wonderful conversation with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he shared his experiences from the International Space Station.”
PM @narendramodi interacted with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/Q37HqvUwCd
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 28, 2025
Highlighting the significance of Shukla’s journey, Modi remarked that the astronaut’s name, embodying “Shubh” (auspicious), symbolizes the dawn of a new era for India’s space ambitions. He extended the best wishes of India’s 1.4 billion citizens to Shukla during their exchange. The conversation also featured a light-hearted moment when Modi inquired about the ‘gajar ka halwa’ Shukla brought to the ISS. Shukla confirmed that he and his crew enjoyed the carrot dessert along with other sweets he carried.
Following the successful launch of Axiom-4, Modi had previously congratulated Shukla, the mission pilot, and the crew, including mission commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Modi emphasized that Shukla carried the “wishes, hopes, and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians” as the first Indian astronaut to reach the ISS.
The Axiom-4 mission’s Dragon spacecraft docked successfully on Thursday, kicking off a two-week mission on the ISS. During their stay, the crew will conduct scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and educational outreach in the microgravity environment. Shukla will lead seven of the 60 experiments planned for the mission.
The mission represents a landmark collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), fulfilling a pledge by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi to send an Indian astronaut to the ISS. In his first message from the station, Shukla expressed his gratitude, saying, “It is a privilege to be here.” He added, “The view surpassed my expectations, but so did the experience of working with this team. I’m confident the next 14 days will be incredible, advancing science and collaboration.”