As IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), prepares to undock with the Axiom-4 mission crew on Sunday, his family in Lucknow is overwhelmed with excitement and emotion.
Speaking to ANI, his mother Asha Shukla expressed her heartfelt prayers and eagerness to reunite with her son. “If we had our way, we would rush to meet him there. But that is not possible,” she said, adding that the family performed a special Abhishek of Lord Shiva on the auspicious first Monday of Sawan, praying for his safe return.
His sister, Shuchi Mishra, echoed similar sentiments. “Today we feel the same emotions as the day he went to space. We will celebrate a lot when he comes back,” she said. “Being a pilot and now an astronaut, he must have seen a new beauty of our nation. Truly, ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara.’”
The Ax-4 crew, including Commander Peggy Whitson, ESA astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, HUNOR astronaut Tibor Kapu, and ISRO’s Shubhanshu Shukla, is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 4:35 PM IST on July 14, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast by 3 PM IST on July 15.
During a moving farewell ceremony aboard the ISS, Shukla delivered a powerful speech, invoking the words of Rakesh Sharma with a modern twist: “Aaj ka Bharat space se mahatvakaanshi dikhta hai, nidar dikhta hai, confident dikhta hai, garv se poorn dikhta hai… isiliye aaj bhi keh sakta hoon – ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha Bharat Hamara.’”
Throughout their 18-day mission, the Ax-4 crew conducted scientific experiments and engaged in educational outreach, further strengthening India’s growing role in global space exploration.
