Last Updated:June 26, 2025, 18:10 IST

Videos shared on social media showed the proud and tearful reactions of his family as the space capsule, which Shukla piloted, successfully docked

Shubhanshu Shukla's mother Asha Shukla, father Shambhu Shukla and others celebrate after Shukla, along with three other astronauts, reached the International Space Station. (PTI photo)

As India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), emotional scenes unfolded in his hometown of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

Several videos shared on social media showed the proud and tearful reactions of his family as the space capsule, which Shukla piloted, successfully docked with the space station.

In one video, Shukla’s mother, Asha Shukla, is seen wiping away tears as she watches the live telecast of the Axiom Mission 4 docking at the ISS. “Docking occurred successfully. This is a matter of great pride. We are delighted," she said.

“We prayed every day. This feels great. We pray to God that may they perform their duty well and return to Earth safely…The credit goes just to my child and his hard work and dedication, only this has taken him to these heights," Shukla’s mother added.

Shubhanshu’s father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, also spoke with joy after the successful docking. “We are delighted. We feel great. My child had a successful docking. We are very thankful to God. We had prayed to God and He has blessed our child abundantly," he told ANI.

Another video showed the atmosphere at Shubhanshu’s former school, where students and staff broke into applause and cheers as the news of the docking was announced. The Indian flag flew high as the entire event was live-streamed at the school.

The 39-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot became the first Indian on the ISS and only the second Indian in space following Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.

The moment was also celebrated at City Montessori School (CMS) Aliganj, where Shukla once studied.

Rishi Khanna, head of communications at CMS, said the moment was deeply moving. “As the docking happened and everyone went up I had tears in my eyes," he shared.

Sudhanshu Gaur, sports teacher at the CMS Aliganj branch where Shubhanshu studied, admitted to growing enthusiasm among students to become astronauts. “I am witnessing a newfound enthusiasm among students to become astronauts. We had a fancy dress competition in school sometime back, and the majority of students turned up as astronauts. This is just amazing."

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission launched on Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.

(With inputs from agencies)

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News india 'Matter Of Great Pride': Family Of Shubhanshu Shukla Celebrate Historic Space Docking