Overview

• The Lok Sabha held a special three-hour discussion titled “India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station – Critical role of the space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047,” with government members paying tribute despite an Opposition boycott.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Shukla at his residence, accepting the Axiom-4 mission patch and the Indian tricolour carried to the ISS and viewing orbital photographs.
• Shukla’s arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 17 brought together Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan and cheering crowds waving the tricolour.
• ISRO and its partners have transferred more than 60 microgravity experiment samples and debrief findings from the Axiom-4 mission to Indian laboratories for analysis to guide the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight project.
• Lucknow’s mayor has proposed naming a road and a park after Shukla, highlighting local pride in the second Indian to travel to space.