Watch: With folded hands and tears of pride, Axiom astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's mother watches son soar to space

It was a proud and emotional moment for Asha Shukla, mother of IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, as she watched her son go to space. Seen with folded hands and visibly nervous, she cheered for him during the live telecast of the launch of Axiom Mission 4.

The mission lifted off on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA.



Shubhanshu Shukla is the mission pilot. He, along with three other astronauts, is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.

The mission is led by American astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson. Shukla is joined by Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, who are both mission specialists.


Axiom-4 marks a big step for India in space collaboration. Shukla is now among a select group of Indians who have travelled to space. His role in this mission shows India’s growing presence in global space efforts and encourages more partnerships between public and private space organisations.

This mission is not just about science, it’s about dreams and inspiration too.

Many young Indians, especially students, watched the launch with hope, imagining that one day they might follow in Shukla’s footsteps and become astronauts themselves.