ISRO’s Shubhanshu Shukla: Family in Lucknow proud and emotional ahead of June 10 SpaceX Ax-4 launch
&w=752&h=564&format=webp&quality=medium "ISRO’s Shubhanshu Shukla: Family in Lucknow proud and emotional ahead of June 10 SpaceX Ax-4 launch")
ISRO’s Shubhanshu Shukla: Family in Lucknow proud and emotional ahead of June 10 SpaceX Ax-4 launch Photograph: (ANI)
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to launch on the Ax-4 mission with SpaceX on June 10, marking India’s return to human spaceflight after 40 years. His family in Lucknow proudly awaits his journey to the ISS.
‘We pray for his safe return’: Shubhanshu Shukla’s parents ahead of Ax-4 launch
India’s return to human spaceflight after 40 years
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is preparing to launch into space as part of Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission, scheduled for 10 June at 8:22 am ET. In India, it will be 5:52 pm IST. The launch will take place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
This mission marks India’s return to human spaceflight after 40 years, since Rakesh Sharma’s journey in 1984. Along with Shukla, astronauts from Poland and Hungary will also join the mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This will be the first time that any of these countries will send a government-backed astronaut to the ISS.
According to reports from Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission reflects growing international cooperation in low-Earth orbit and aims to promote global partnerships in space exploration. Both ISRO and the ISS have acknowledged the mission on their official platforms. SpaceX confirmed that launch day rehearsals have been successfully completed.
Proud parents speak from Lucknow’s Triveni Nagar
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As the launch date approaches, emotions are high in Triveni Nagar, Lucknow, where Shukla’s family lives. In a report by ANI, his mother, Asha Shukla, said, “We are proud of him and pray for his safe return.” She added that he has always made the family proud, and they are hopeful for a successful mission.
His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, echoed this pride, saying the entire neighbourhood and city are following the mission closely. “The nation is watching. Posters of him are everywhere,” he said. He also recalled a recent proud moment when the family attended a felicitation ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram.
Neighbours call Shukla a role model
Shukla’s neighbours and community members see him as a local hero. Several locals told ANI that his achievement had brought recognition and honour to their area. Some residents called it the proudest moment for Triveni Nagar, saying it had inspired local children to dream big and aim for careers in science and space.
The Ax-4 mission is expected to spend around 14 days aboard the ISS, during which the astronauts will carry out scientific, commercial, and educational activities.