Great excitement prevailed at Wing Cdr Shubhanshu Shukla’s residence in Triveni Nagar on Monday as the Axion 4 Mission lifts off on Tuesday evening.
Shubhanshu Shukla is set to create history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) on the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.
The Ax-4 crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre at 5.32 pm.
Shubhanshu’s residence was decorated with posters, cut outs and banners proclaiming, “We wish you all the best for the success of your Axiom 4 Mission. We are proud of you. You are the best” and “Shubhanshu Shukla creates history”. The residence is bustling with people, well-wishers and relatives who want to be together to watch this incredible journey.
Shubhanshu’s two sisters have come down to their parental home to be with their family on this momentous occasion. A visibly elated sister of Shubhanshu, Suchi Mishra, who is a science teacher at a local school, said that they were super excited. “We are highly happy and proud. These are the only things that we can say in words because feelings which we are experiencing are beyond words,” she said.
About her communication with her brother who is currently in Florida, she said that the family had communicated with her brother on a video call on Sunday. “He is very happy and excited because he has put in such a lot of hard work and the time has come to execute this mission,” she said.
She said that they have made arrangements for screening the mission lift off and the family, friends and relatives will gather together to watch and celebrate the occasion together. Talking about Shubhanshu’s childhood, she said that he was a naughty boy but not destructive. “He had always been a calm and composed child. He was brilliant and dedication is a quality which he had from his birth. When he is offered a job to do, he gives it his hundred percent. If he makes a decision to do something he never looks back. This is what makes him extraordinary and probably he has reached where he is now because of this quality of his,” she said.
When asked if he was interested in being an astronaut in his childhood, she said that he aspired to be in the Air Force. “This opportunity came his way and he opted for it because he was always interested in participating in activities from which he could learn something new,” she added.
She further said that he was quite young when he joined the Air Force. “As a family we always knew that since he was doing so well professionally, he would reach a high position,” she said.
Suchi said that her neighbourhood is surprised and inspired. “The residents of the colony are thinking that if a person from such a small house and from the same colony can reach such a position, then anybody could aspire to be in his place. Lots of youngsters and students are coming to our place and telling us that if Shubhanshu “bhaiya” can do this, they could also do this. This is the best part is that the future generation is getting inspired by him,” she added.
Shubhanshu’s father Shambhu Dayal Shukla, who retired from the Secretariat, said that it was a festive atmosphere that was prevailing in his home as if a marriage was taking place.
“We organised a Satyanarayan katha and a hawan for his journey into space,” he added. He described Shubhanshu as a non-demanding child who was always interested in academics. “He was the youngest while our focus usually remained on the elder daughters,” he added. Personally, he said he was very proud and happy.
Wing Cdr Shubhanshu Shukla was born in Lucknow on October 10, 1985, is an alumnus of NDA and was commissioned on June 17, 2006 in the IAF. He is a Fighter Combat Leader and a Test Pilot with approximately 2000 hrs of flying experience.