NEW DELHI: As Indian astronaut and IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Tuesday returned to Earth after a historic mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), his family back home was overwhelmed with a mix of emotion including excitement, nervousness and pride.
The home of Group Captain Shukla in Lucknow was filled with emotion, pride, and celebration on Tuesday as news came in of his safe return from the ISS.
Shukla, who is the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 3:00 PM IST, completing Axiom Space’s historic Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.
After the successful landing, Shukla’s family members shared their heartfelt emotions.
Speaking to IANS, his mother, Asha Shukla, shared her feelings, saying: “The excitement must be visible on our faces. We’re extremely eager and overwhelmed with emotion, knowing that our son has finally returned to Earth today. I want to thank everyone for this. It’s very emotional to see my son after so many days. Our excitement is endless — we are very proud.”
His sister, Shuchi Mishra, added: “Honestly, I couldn’t sleep last night; there was just so much excitement. I have butterflies in my stomach right now. I want to thank everyone. We were waiting for this moment. He has finally come back. We are so happy.”
His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, also shared the family’s anticipation: “I want to thank God that he has finally landed back on Earth. I also want to thank everyone who has given their blessings to our child. He has returned from a place from where there was little chance of coming back.”
Meanwhile, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who scripted history by becoming the first from the country to reach the International Space Station, returned safely back home.