Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 25 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday met Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, who recently completed the historic mission to the International Space Station as part of the crew in the Axiom 4 Mission.
In a post on X, UP Chief Minister Office wrote, "Today, at UP CM Yogi Adityanath's official residence in Lucknow, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla ji, the son of the nation, astronaut, and Group Captain, paid a courtesy visit after the successful operation of the historic Axiom4 mission and his safe return from the International Space Station."
Group Captain Shukla also attended the felicitation ceremony at his alma mater, City Montessori School in Gomtinagar.
On the occasion, he encouraged students to strive for the vision of landing on the moon by 2040.
In his speech, Group Captain said, "I was very tired this morning. Then I saw you kids on the roads, and I was told you had been standing there since 7.30 am. I saw you sweating, smiling, and so excited that my tiredness vanished."
He further said that the only thing required to succeed is "perseverance".
"In my overall experience, I think the future is extremely bright. We are at the right time, the right opportunities exist. In each of the interactions I had with you on the International Space Station (ISS), I never got a question on what it was like on the ISS. I was always asked how to become an astronaut. That speaks volumes on where your mind is going," Shukla said.
Shukla, who returned to Earth on July 15 after completing NASA's Axiom-4 (AX-4) space mission, landed in Delhi on August 17.
He was a part of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space.