In a historic interaction, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, expressed his pride in representing India and described the Earth from space as a borderless, united home, saying, “India looks grand and much bigger from here than on a map.”

PM Modi praised Shukla’s achievement, calling it a “shubh aarambh” (auspicious beginning) for India's youth and lauded him for carrying the nation's flag into space. The Prime Minister said that 140 crore Indians were emotionally connected with Shukla during this proud moment of national history.

Launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Shukla will spend 14 days on the ISS alongside astronauts from the US, Poland, and Hungary. Their mission includes over 60 scientific experiments and outreach efforts, making it Axiom’s most ambitious space mission to date.