‘Wave of curiosity among kids’: PM hails India’s space progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday likened Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s safe return to Earth from the Axiom-4 mission this month to the historic moon landing of Chandrayaan-3 in 2023. In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, Modi said such landmark moments spark a new wave of enthusiasm across the country, especially by igniting children’s curiosity about science and space.

- Sejal Sharma

“The moment Shubhanshu landed safely back on Earth, people jumped with joy. A wave of happiness swept through every heart. The whole country was filled with pride,” Modi said in his 124th Mann Ki Baat speech. “I still remember when Chandrayaan 3 successfully landed on the Moon in August 2023, a new atmosphere was created in the country.

“Little children now say, we will also go to Space; we will also land on the Moon - we will become space scientists,” he said, adding that space startups have grown at a rapid speed, from less than 50 startups five years ago to over 200 now.

Launched on June 25, 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, the Axiom-4 mission concluded on July 15 after an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was conducted in collaboration with NASA, Axiom Space and ESA, wherein Shukla and his crewmates carried out 60 experiments on medicine, agriculture, and the effect of space.