Lucknow Prepares To Celebrate Local Boy's Historic Space Mission
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Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's launch to the ISS is set for Wednesday, organized by City Montessori School in Lucknow, with a public watch party. Shukla, the first Indian to reach the ISS, will be celebrated amid excitement and live-streaming.
Lucknow:
Lucknow will cheer for Group Captain Shubhanshu 'Shux' Shukla on Wednesday when he embarks on a historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), with his alma mater - City Montessori School - organising a grand public watch party here to celebrate the lift-off.
Initially scheduled for Tuesday, the launch of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Shukla and three others to the ISS was postponed to Wednesday due to weather conditions, the ISRO said on Monday evening.
Over 15 hoardings congratulating the 39-year-old Lucknow-born Indian Air Force pilot have been put up across the state capital as India awaits its second national to undertake a spaceflight after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey.
The feat would propel Shukla into history as the first Indian to step on the ISS.
Shukla is all set to travel with three other crew members onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 5:30 pm (IST) on Wednesday.
As Group Captain Shukla pilots the Dragon with commander Peggy Whitson and crewmates from Poland and Hungary on a 14-day research mission, an impressive crowd -- including relatives, friends and teachers of Shulka -- will watch the lift-off together as the City Montessori School (CMS) has set up giant screens to relay the launch live with NASA/Axiom commentary.
"A life-size ISS Cupola replica, 'Defy Gravity' photo booth and telescope, mock-up of a mission control centre, space-themed live music, art installations and STEM kiosks, and a space fashion parade would be the other highlights of the launch party," CMS founder-director Bharti Gandhi Kingdon said.
"By counting down together, we will all contribute to the historical milestone being created by 'hamara beta' Shux," she added.
Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, manager, CMS, said there's palpable excitement among students across the city to witness the extraordinary event.
"Shux has opened the doors to space for Lucknow's youth, proving that with perseverance, even the cosmos is within reach," she said.
"We are praying for the success of the mission our son is leading, which holds enormous importance for the country," Shukla's father Shambhu Shukla told PTI.
His elder sister Shuchi Misra said, "We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shux is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy. All his preparations were for this moment, and CMS laid the cornerstone of that confidence." Rishi Khanna, head of communications, CMS, said the entire watch party will be live-streamed on CMS's YouTube channel.
"We will begin our programme at 3.30 pm on Wednesday as the mission launch has been postponed," Khanna told PTI.
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