Overview

• Modi celebrated astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s safe return from the ISS as a unifying moment of national pride.
• He highlighted that India’s space startup count has risen from fewer than 50 to over 200 in five years.
• Participation in the INSPIRE-Manak youth innovation campaign has doubled since Chandrayaan-3, engaging lakhs of students with original science projects.
• He congratulated Indian students on their Chemistry and Mathematics Olympiad medals and noted that Mumbai will host the largest Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad next month.
• Modi announced August 23 as National Space Day and invited citizens to submit celebration ideas via the NaMo App.