‘Shubhanshu Shukla bringing laurels to India’: IAF Group Captain's parents ahead of Axiom-4 mission

As India gets ready to see Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's space launch onboard the Axiom-4 mission on Wednesday, his parents have expressed that their son not only brought laurels to Lucknow, his home city, but to the entire country. Shubhanshu Shukla would be flying to space on Axiom-4 mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, the United States.

Speaking with news agency ANI, Shubhanshu Shukla's father Shambhu Dayal Shukla said it was great to see posters featuring the Group Captain all around.

“We are very eager to see the launch of his mission. We are delighted. Our blessings are with him, and we also pray to God for his mission to be completed well...He is fully prepared...It feels great to see all the posters that have been put up for him...He is bringing laurels to Lucknow, the state and our country...We are proud of him,” he said.

Shubhanshu Shukla's mother praised her daughter-in-law, saying her son's achievements for the country wouldn't have been possible without her support. 

Asha Shukla said, “It is a moment of pride for us and everyone else. Posters are being put up everywhere. Everyone is delighted that a man from this country, this Triveni Nagar, is going to soar so high.”

“We are sending all our wishes and blessings to him. He has all the support of our daughter-in-law. This could not have been possible without her. She has played the biggest role here,” she said.

The Axiom-4 mission is targeting a launch window of 2:31 a.m. EDT or 12 noon IST on Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the US.

The crew, piloted by India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 7 am EDT on Thursday, or 4 pm IST.

(With agency inputs)