As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla soared into space aboard the Axiom-4 mission, his mother, Asha Shukla, watched with tearful eyes and a silent prayer on her lips. Sitting beside her, his father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, looked on with a proud smile as the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The moment marked a historic milestone — Shubhanshu Shukla, aged 39, became only the second Indian to travel to space, four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soviet mission.
A Mother’s Blessing Before the Mission
Just hours before his flight, Group Captain Shukla shared an emotional message with his family: “Just wait for me, I’m coming.”
In a traditional Indian gesture of good luck, his mother offered him dahi cheeni — a mix of curd and sugar — over a video call before his launch. This symbolic ritual is widely observed in Indian households before important events.
“We just told him to go and complete his mission, and then we will meet again,” she told NDTV, visibly relieved after the successful lift-off.
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Four-Member International Crew Embarks on 14-Day Mission
The Axiom-4 crew, led by Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), includes specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary), and Group Captain Shukla (India), who serves as the mission pilot. The spacecraft is headed to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 14-day mission.
During their time aboard the ISS, the team will conduct 60 scientific experiments, including seven from Indian researchers. Group Captain Shukla is also expected to interact with a VIP from space as part of the mission’s schedule.
To ensure mission readiness, Shukla had been under strict quarantine for over a month, safeguarding his health prior to the historic flight.
