Just before he climbed into the Tesla that would ferry him to the launchpad in Florida’s predawn darkness on June 25, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla had a brief moment with his wife. “How’s the josh?” she asked, echoing a line immortalised in Indian cinema. “High,” replied Shux.
“We are a bit filmy that way,” Kamna told TOI with a laugh, speaking from Florida after her husband launched aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). “There was very little time for conversation.”
Along with their six-year-old son Kiash — fondly called Sid — Kamna, her brother’s family, and India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, were the only ones from India to have spoken with Shukla just before launch.
As SpaceX’s Falcon-9 cut through the night sky, little Sid, who was unaware of the momentous occasion, had dozed off. “I jolted Sid from sleep. He caught the launch. He was excited to watch what appeared like a Sun against a black backdrop,” Kamna recalled.
The mission, a milestone for private spaceflight and a landmark for India’s human spaceflight journey, saw “Grace” — the Dragon capsule carrying Shukla and three international crewmates — dock successfully with the ISS.
Kamna, who by then had reached Atlanta where her brother lives, was elated. “This is India’s time in space. Shux, me, and our entire family are looking forward to Gaganyaan , and the future of India’s human spaceflight programme,” she said.
Though the family had their share of nerves when the mission was postponed multiple times, Kamna said there was “never any doubt that everything would be taken care of”.
Now that Shukla is aboard the ISS, the family is scheduled to have two private video calls with him during his stay. “Those have been pre-arranged. But he can also call us whenever he’s free and it’s feasible,” Kamna said.
As Shukla conducts cutting-edge Indian scientific experiments in orbit it is not just his mission, but a national moment. And behind the calm professionalism of an IAF pilot-turned-astronaut is a family that has been quietly sharing the journey every step of the way.
In an exclusive interview to TOI earlier, Kamna had described Shux as the bravest person she knows and said she was confident that he’ll perform his duty as he always has.
Ahead of launch Shukla had said: “No one travels to space alone… we do so on the shoulders of so many more. I feel grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you…” He had specially thanked his wife Kamna for being the wonderful partner that she was, and said: “Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter.”
“We are a bit filmy that way,” Kamna told TOI with a laugh, speaking from Florida after her husband launched aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). “There was very little time for conversation.”
Along with their six-year-old son Kiash — fondly called Sid — Kamna, her brother’s family, and India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, were the only ones from India to have spoken with Shukla just before launch.
As SpaceX’s Falcon-9 cut through the night sky, little Sid, who was unaware of the momentous occasion, had dozed off. “I jolted Sid from sleep. He caught the launch. He was excited to watch what appeared like a Sun against a black backdrop,” Kamna recalled.
The mission, a milestone for private spaceflight and a landmark for India’s human spaceflight journey, saw “Grace” — the Dragon capsule carrying Shukla and three international crewmates — dock successfully with the ISS.
Kamna, who by then had reached Atlanta where her brother lives, was elated. “This is India’s time in space. Shux, me, and our entire family are looking forward to Gaganyaan , and the future of India’s human spaceflight programme,” she said.
Though the family had their share of nerves when the mission was postponed multiple times, Kamna said there was “never any doubt that everything would be taken care of”.
Now that Shukla is aboard the ISS, the family is scheduled to have two private video calls with him during his stay. “Those have been pre-arranged. But he can also call us whenever he’s free and it’s feasible,” Kamna said.
As Shukla conducts cutting-edge Indian scientific experiments in orbit it is not just his mission, but a national moment. And behind the calm professionalism of an IAF pilot-turned-astronaut is a family that has been quietly sharing the journey every step of the way.
In an exclusive interview to TOI earlier, Kamna had described Shux as the bravest person she knows and said she was confident that he’ll perform his duty as he always has.
Ahead of launch Shukla had said: “No one travels to space alone… we do so on the shoulders of so many more. I feel grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you…” He had specially thanked his wife Kamna for being the wonderful partner that she was, and said: “Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter.”
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