Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: Shambhu Dayal Shukla, the father of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, who has been selected as the ‘prime astronaut’ for its first collaborative mission with NASA, wished for the success of the mission and said that everyone in the family is happy.
Earlier, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla was selected as the prime astronaut for the upcoming Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced.
“I wish this mission to be successful. I always pray to God that he (Shubhanshu) gets success. Initially, I was resistant towards services in force and it was my wish that he would join civil service, but when he got selected and I was unaware of it, I didn’t deny then. When we got the news, nothing could match the moment and when the PM gave him the badge, we will never forget that moment. We never think negatively; it’s all God’s wish and everything happens for good,” father of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla told media.
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla’s mother, Usha Shukla, said that Shubhanshu has been brilliant since his childhood days.
“We are so happy that it has no limits. But, there is some nervousness as well when we listen to things about the mission. Yesterday, he left for the US, where he will get the training. All in the family are happy. He has been brilliant since his childhood days and does hard work,” Usha Shukla said.
A joint statement signed between India and the US during the official state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2023 envisioned a joint ISRO-NASA effort to the ISS.
Towards the goal of mounting a joint ISRO-NASA effort, the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO has entered into a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with NASA-identified service provider Axiom Space Inc, USA for its upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, the Indian space agency said on Friday.
A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris as prime and backup Mission Pilot for this mission. These include Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Prime) and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (Backup).
“The assigned crewmembers will be finally approved to fly to the International Space Station by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP),” the ISRO statement read.
The recommended Gaganyatris will commence their training for the mission from the first week of August, ISRO said.
During the mission, the Gaganyatri will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities. The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Program and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA.
Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
The four astronauts were trained at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia. The Gaganyaan mission is India’s first human space flight program for which extensive preparations are underway at various ISRO centres.