Watch: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla joins Hunter Squadron for push-ups challenge during emotional return to NDA Pune

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force fighter pilot and astronaut, visited the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Pune on Saturday (March 28). The visit included a guest lecture and a return to his former unit, Hunter Squadron.

During his time at the squadron, Shukla joined current cadets for a series of push-up challenges in typical NDA style, performed on the knuckles, with everyone participating, from officers to cadets. The officer, who graduated from the academy in 2005, took part in the exercise during an interaction with the 154th course.

“Returning to the National Defence Academy for a guest lecture felt less like a visit and more like stepping through a fold in time. The moment I crossed those familiar gates, something within me quietly realigned—as though the intervening 24 years had politely stepped aside to let memory take command,” Shukla said in a post on social media.

“I found myself wandering not as a speaker, but as that wide-eyed cadet again—lingering over places that had once shaped me in ways I probably only understand now. The stretches where we “rode” (and often lifted) our bikes, the library that doubled as both refuge and reprieve, the mess—undoubtedly the most cherished theatre of camaraderie—and, of course, my squadron, Hunter. Each corner carried echoes. Each step felt like a conversation with a younger version of myself,” he added.

In a lecture at Habibullah Hall, Shukla discussed his 18-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025 and his ongoing training for the Gaganyaan programme. He noted the role of the academy's training in shaping his career as a test pilot and spacefarer.

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The visit concluded with an interactive session where he addressed cadets' queries regarding technical challenges in microgravity and high-G flight environments.

Shukla’s military career reached a milestone with his selection as a “Gaganyatri” for India’s first human spaceflight mission.

In June 2025, he became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 mission. Launched from Florida on June 25, 2025, the 18-day mission saw him carry out seven key microgravity experiments, including studies on muscle regeneration and crop viability.