NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned home Sunday to a hero’s welcome after completing the NASA Axiom-4 mission. Shukla, who became the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma, described his return as a “mix of emotions” as he reunited with his family and country for the first time since the mission.

Shukla, 39, landed in New Delhi in the early hours of Sunday, August 17. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, and hundreds of cheering students greeted him at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. His wife and young son were also present, making the homecoming even more special.

“As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart,” Shukla wrote in a post on X before boarding his flight. “I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time post mission.”

He also shared that he leaned on his favorite song, Yun Hi Chala Chal from the 2004 film Swades, to capture the bittersweet moment.

Shukla was selected by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission. The mission, a collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25 and splashed down off the coast of California on July 15.

The 21-day journey to the International Space Station marked another chapter in India’s growing presence in human spaceflight. Shukla conducted multiple experiments aboard the ISS and the Space Shuttle. ISRO said his work made significant contributions to India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

Shukla’s mission was built on India’s first crewed space experience in 1984, when Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. With Shukla’s flight, India ended a 41-year wait for another astronaut in orbit.

The learnings from Shukla’s time in space will feed directly into the Gaganyaan program, ISRO’s ambitious plan to send Indian astronauts into space aboard an indigenous spacecraft.

Gaganyaan will begin with an unmanned flight later this year, followed by two more unmanned missions. ISRO plans to send Indian astronauts into space for 2 to 7 days once the tests are complete.

Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, another astronaut chosen for the Gaganyaan mission, served as India’s backup for the Axiom-4 mission. He accompanied Shukla back to India and was also welcomed at the airport.

The Axiom-4 mission underscored the growing partnership between India and the United States in space exploration. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington last year, ISRO and NASA signed an agreement enabling an Indian astronaut to travel to the ISS under a U.S. mission.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh praised the collaboration and hailed Shukla’s achievement as a national triumph. “A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Singh wrote on X. “India’s space glory touches the Indian soil as the iconic son of Mother India, Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla, lands at Delhi.”

For Shukla, who is also a decorated fighter pilot, the journey has been deeply personal as well as historic. “I guess this is what life is — everything all at once,” he wrote. “Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can’t wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you.”

Shukla’s return has inspired celebrations across India and renewed excitement for the Gaganyaan project. With India preparing to launch its first human space mission in the near future, its successful flight is seen as both a milestone and a promise of what lies ahead.