Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) After the SpaceX crew capsule Grace, carrying Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and others, splashed down off the coast of California near San Diego, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated him for creating history.

In his post on X, the chief minister said, “Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Creates History! Heartiest Congratulations to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on the successful completion of his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to visit the International Space Station, he has made the entire nation proud and ignited countless dreams with his courage, dedication and pioneering spirit. This is a monumental step towards India’s Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan!”

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also congratulated him for his successful return to Earth after an 18-day space journey.

“After Rakesh Sharma, who travelled to space in 1984 aboard a Soviet spacecraft, Shubhanshu Shukla has become the second Indian astronaut to undertake a space mission. I join the joy of Shubhanshu’s parents and millions of Indians in celebrating the successful completion of this space mission. Concrete steps will now be taken toward realising the dream of building India’s space station, and there is no doubt that this will give new strength to the wings of every Indian student aspiring to become an astronaut,” said Shinde.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in his message said, “A happy and proud India welcomes back its astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to planet Earth after spending 18 days in space. Your stupendous feat will inspire more youngsters to explore this field, and I congratulate you and your entire team on the successful culmination of your mission.”

Shukla, who became the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS), has emerged as the new star — also establishing a firm place for India in the global space arena.

The 20-day mission, led by private American company Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA, SpaceX, and other government space agencies, including ISRO, launched to the ISS on June 26.

Shukla returned to Earth on Tuesday along with fellow astronauts from the US, Poland, and Hungary aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft “Grace”.

Lucknow-born Shukla was included in the astronaut selection process by ISRO in 2019 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 announced from the Red Fort that a son or daughter of India would go to space very soon.

In January 2025, the 39-year-old astronaut was selected as the pilot for the Ax-4 mission — a collaborative mission between NASA and ISRO.

The IAF officer became the youngest astronaut-designate under India’s Gaganyaan mission — the country’s first human spaceflight mission.

–IANS

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