Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s Historic Return: A Mother’s Prayer for India’s Astronaut | Lucknow News

NEW DELHI: As the Dragon spacecraft carrying group captain Shubhanshu Shukla nears splashdown, his family in Lucknow is filled with excitement, pride, and prayers. Shukla, India’s second astronaut in space, is expected to return to Earth around 3:01 pm IST on Tuesday, concluding a historic mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew.Back home in Lucknow, the Shukla family has been glued to every update, offering prayers and preparing to welcome their son with joy and reverence.His mother, Asha Shukla, told news agency ANI: “We are very excited. When we saw the undocking, we knew he was on his way now. We are waiting for our son. He will reach by evening. We prayed for his well-being. We went to the temple and took Hanumaji’s Darshan. We did a Sundarkand recitation. We are proud that our son wrote his name in history. We will give him a grand welcome”His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, added: “We are very excited that our son is returning from the mission and landing on Earth. He had made us so proud. It will be noted down in history. We are waiting for his safe landing. It is a day of joy for the entire nation. I thank the entire nation for their prayers. He is our son, but he belongs to the entire nation. We prayed and remembered God.”Joining in the anticipation, his sister, Shuchi Mishra, said: “The energy is very high and everyone is very excited. Everyone will gather and watch the splashdown together. We want to thank everyone for their best wishes. We are offering prayers.”The Dragon capsule, ‘Grace’, undocked from the ISS on Monday evening (IST) and is on a 22.5-hour return journey. A de-orbit burn is scheduled for 2:07 PM IST, followed by trunk separation and re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere, with temperatures exceeding 1,600°C. The final descent will feature two parachute deployments before splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California.During his 20 days in space, Shukla completed over 310 orbits, travelling more than 1.3 crore kilometers, a distance equivalent to circling the Earth 33 times to the Moon and back. The crew also witnessed over 300 sunrises and sunsets, a surreal spectacle of low-Earth orbit.With this mission, Shukla becomes the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, marking a landmark moment in India’s expanding presence in human spaceflight.