Parliament to hold special discussion to honour astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's historic space mission: Rijiju

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta receives Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, in New Delhi, early Sunday (PTI photo)

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed on Monday that the Parliament will hold a special discussion on 'India's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station - the critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047' on Monday after Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India post the completion of a successful mission at the International Space Station.

Rijiju said, "In the Parliament, today, we are going to honour Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla through a special discussion. We will discuss his space visit and India's space mission in detail. I hope that the way all the members of all parties took part in the discussion on Operation Sindoor, the same way all parties will congratulate Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Indian scientists and take part in this discussion..."

#WATCH | Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "... In the Parliament, today, we are going to honour Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla through a special discussion. We will discuss his space visit and India's space mission in detail. I hope that the way all the… pic.twitter.com/RdHOnQJKsR

— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025

Earlier, the agenda released by Lok Sabha secretariat read "Special discussion on India's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station-critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047."

Shukla landed in Delhi in the early hours of Sunday after returning to Earth on July 15 post the completion of NASA's Axiom-4 (AX-4) space mission.

He was received at Delhi's IGI airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, as well as his family, including his wife and son.

Shukla was part of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He returned to Earth on July 15, splashing down off the coast of California. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space.

(With ANI inputs)