Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer and ISRO astronaut, has made a triumphant return to Earth, concluding a groundbreaking mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

According to BBC, the Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) spent Rs 5 billion or Rs 500 crore ($59m; £43m) on Shukla’s trip on Axiom-4 — a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private company Axiom Space and a joint effort by NASA, ISRO and European Space Agency.

While India reportedly spent around Rs 548 crore on the Axiom-4 mission, Shukla himself does not receive any additional payment for his spaceflight. His salary as an ISRO astronaut is estimated to be between Rs 12 to Rs 20 lakh per annum,