Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 29 (ANI): A wave of joy has swept through Lucknow as Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to join Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, set to launch on June 8.

Expressing their happiness, Group Captain Shukla's parents shared their excitement about their son's upcoming journey to space. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, extended his best wishes for the successful completion of the mission.

'We are delighted. Now, his goal has been achieved. He has been preparing for this since 2019. The mission will start on June 8. I wish this mission to be successful. It is a matter of pride for the nation. He is ready. He will complete his mission. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It is possible because of their help,' Shambhu Dayal said, expressing his gratitude for the help from the government.

His mother, Asha Shukla, credited her daughter-in-law and Captain Shukla's wife for her role in this achievement.

'It is a big achievement. We are proud of him. We wish him all the best and success. Our daughter-in-law has supported him a lot. He could not have done this without her support. That's the reason he achieved this success. We are thankful to the CM,' Asha Shukla said.

Shukla is set to become the first astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to visit the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. He will also be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Rakesh Sharma earned the distinction of being the first Indian to go to space on board Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.

The IAF pilot who is among the astronauts chosen for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, India's first human space flight, was promoted to group captain in March 2024. He has 2,000 flight hours on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and the An-32.

Apart from Shukla, the Ax-4 mission also carries two mission specialists - European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary to stay aboard the space station. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission.

Shukla and his three other crewmates will carry nearly 60 science investigations from 31 countries worldwide during their stay aboard the ISS.

ISRO is spearheading transformative research on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), in collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). (ANI)