India’s Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a formal resolution congratulating Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on his successful return from the International Space Station, calling the mission a milestone toward the country’s goal of building its own space station. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Shukla’s flight "took India a step closer" to realising an indigenous orbital outpost and advancing the Gaganyaan human-spaceflight programme. The astronaut, who flew as part of an Axiom Space commercial mission supported by ISRO and NASA, splashed down aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego at 3:01 p.m. IST on Tuesday. The Cabinet’s resolution also commended ISRO engineers and scientists involved in the mission. Shukla, expected back in India next month after post-flight protocols in the United States, is the first Indian military pilot to complete an ISS stay and return on a commercial spacecraft.