‘I Don’t Have Words’: Shubhanshu Shukla’s Mother Reacts After His Safe Return From Historic ISS Mission

The Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom-4 crew, including Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, successfully splashed down off the California coast on Tuesday. After the splashdown, recovery teams conducted post-landing safety and medical checks.

Confirming the safe return, SpaceX said in a post on ‘X’, “Splashdown of Dragon confirmed.”

On the crew’s successful return, Shubhanshu Shukla’s parents were seen getting emotional as visuals showed them clapping alongside others after witnessing the splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft.

Expressing his excitement about his son’s return, Shukla’s father said, “His family was awaiting his safe landing. He had made us so proud.”

Thanking God for the safe return, he said, “We thank god for the safe landing of Shubhanshu Shukla…Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also blessed Shubhanshu Shukla and extended best wishes to us…”

Shukla’s mother, Asha Shukla, in her first remarks, said, “My son has safely returned…I got emotional, after all, my son has returned after many days,” she said. “I thank god, you all who have covered the event.”

She also said, “I don’t have words to express my happiness…PM Modi also congratulated him…”

Shukla, along with three members of the Axiom-4 mission, spent 18 days aboard the International Space Station. The Dragon spacecraft had undocked from the space-facing port of the Harmony module on ISS on Monday.

The crew members included mission commander and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu. Shukla was the mission pilot on Axiom-4.

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