Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:12am on 25 Jun 2025,Wednesday International
As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla launched into space aboard Axiom-4, his mother Asha Shukla watched with folded hands and teary eyes. “Just wait for me, I’m coming,” Shukla had told his family before takeoff. Asha performed the dahi-cheeni ritual over video call, praying for his safe journey. The 39-year-old IAF officer is now the second Indian in space, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma. His father, Shambhu Dayal, smiled with pride beside her. Shukla joins three others on a two-week mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to conduct 60 scientific experiments, including seven from Indian researchers, aboard the ISS.
