Video: With Tearful Eyes, IAF Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's Mother Watches Son's Homecoming After Space Mission

As Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), his mother, Asha Shukla, couldn’t hold back her tears while watching the moment unfold on a virtual screen.

She heaved a sigh of relief as tears streamed down her face following the successful splashdown. Shubhanshu’s father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, consoled her as her eyes welled up with emotion at the sight of her son’s safe return from space.

Asha Shukla expressed her joy over her son's achievement and safe return to Earth.

“I don't have words to express my happiness,” she told ANI.

To mark the historic occasion, the family celebrated by cutting a three-tier cake in honor of Shubhanshu’s homecoming after scripting history.

The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission concluded successfully on July 15 at 3 PM, as astronauts Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, Tibor Kapu, and India’s space hero Shubhanshu Shukla safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The crew spent 18 days aboard the International Space Station.

Shubhanshu Shukla is the first Indian to travel to space in 41 years. The mission was funded by ISRO at an estimated cost of ₹550 crore.

India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, journeyed to space on April 3, 1984.

Successful Splashdown

After undocking from the ISS on Monday, July 14, Crew Dragon executed a series of orbital maneuvers before reentering Earth’s atmosphere and deploying parachutes for a controlled splashdown.

Axiom Space confirmed that recovery teams successfully retrieved the capsule and that all four astronauts are in good health.

Following the splashdown, IAF Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the three other Axiom-4 crew members will now undergo a seven-day rehabilitation program to re-adapt to Earth’s gravity.

Also Read: Axiom-4 Return: Here’s Why Dragon Faces 6‑Minute Comm Blackout During Re‑Entry