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NDTV
an hour ago
- Science
- NDTV
Prayers Offered In Lucknow For Success Of Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 Mission
Lucknow: Special prayers were offered in Lucknow on Tuesday for the success of the thrice-postponed lift-off of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, on board SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket, that would propel him into history as the first Indian to step onto the International Space Station. Lucknow-born Shukla's much-awaited Axiom-4 space mission was originally scheduled on May 29 but deferred to June 8 and then for June 10 before being rescheduled for June 11. The space voyage of the 39-year-old IAF officer, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, will also mark India's return to human spaceflight after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey. While the IAF officer's family offered special prayers on Tuesday, a day that coincided with the fifth and last 'Bada Mangal' celebrations, unique to state capital, the City Montessori School's (CMS) Aliganj branch, where the Lucknow boy studied, organised a 'yagna' to pray for the success of the space mission. The yagna was attended by CMS manager Dr Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, school president Dr Roger Kingdon, Shukla's parents Asha and Shambhu Shukla, his elder sisters Shuchi and Nishi Mishra, along with teachers. Several students, many of whom appeared "inspired enough to dream of becoming an astronaut", were also present. "We teach science but we also concede that there is some invisible power which guides us towards bigger goals. The space odyssey of one of our brightest alumnus is surely one such moment of great significance, not only for us but for the country and that is why we held special prayers and performed a yagna to ensure that the blessings of the universe are with him (Shukla)," Dr Kingdon told PTI. Cutouts of Shukla in his astronaut suit has dominated his Lucknow home, like at many other places in the city. About 15 large hoardings have been erected in several parts of the state capital to congratulate the astronaut ahead of his historic mission. "We are frequently getting visitors or calls, the main attraction of all being the space voyage of our son," the astronaut's father, Shambhu Shukla, told PTI. IAF officer's mother Asha said that her son, who has been training in Houston over the last several months and is now in quarantine ahead of his mission, regularly calls them up. "There is one thing about my has accomplished everything he has set his mind to and that is why I am relaxed ahead of his space flight," she said. Shukla is also part of India's Gaganyaan, country's first manned mission scheduled for 2027. On Wednesday, when Shukla takes off, residents of Lucknow would be out there cheering for the local boy who, as a kid, was fascinated by fighter planes. 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 space fashion parade would be among the highlight of the launch party in Lucknow on Wednesday, CMS's Rishi Khanna said. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission comprises Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and specialists Tigor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. The 14-day mission will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Lucknow's Shubhanshu Shukla set for space history
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Lucknowite in space. The historic moment will come when Axiom Space's fourth commercial mission to the International Space Station lifts off onboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida (USA) on Wednesday evening. The lift-off was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed by a day due to weather conditions. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday informed that the launch of Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed from June 10. ISRO cited weather conditions for the postponement of the Axiom-4 or Ax4 mission, which will now take off on June 11 with the targeted time of launch being 5:30 pm (8 am EST). Ahead of the lift-off, his mother Asha Shukla and father Shambhu Dayal Shukla, who live in the state capital's Triveni Nagar, said, 'It's a proud moment for the family. First, he got selected into NDA (National Defence Academy), the air force and ISRO. All these happened one after the other.' 'We are praying for the success of the mission which our son is leading and which holds enormous importance for the country,' Shambhu Dayal Shukla further said. Shubhanshu's elder sister Shuchi Misra said, 'We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shux (Shubhanshu's nickname) is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy. Before news of the postponement came, Shubhanshu Shukla's alma mater – a prominent city school – had planned to organise a grand public watch party to celebrate the lift-off. 'We will begin our programme at 3.30 pm on Wednesday as the mission launch has been postponed,' a school official said. The programme was initially planned for Tuesday to enable students, teachers, civic leaders, defence personnel and Shukla's family members to participate. Several hoardings congratulating the 39-year-old Lucknow-born Indian Air Force pilot have come up across the state capital. Shubhanshu will pilot the SpaceX Crew Dragon with NASA senior Dr Peggy Whitson and crewmates from Poland and Hungary on a 14-day research flight. The Lucknow-born Shubhanshu Shukla will be the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984 onboard the erstwhile Soviet Union's Soyuz spacecraft for an eight-day stay in orbit. In March 2024, Shukla made headlines as he was one of the four selected for ISRO's Gaganyaan Mission. 'Venturing into the unknown comes with the domain knowledge of being a test pilot,' Shubhanshu Shukla had told HT over phone in 2024. Shukla had then confessed that the curiosity for the unknown was what drove him to apply for this mission and that the feeling of having been selected took a while to sink in. 'It was all so fast and we were so busy at the time. It only sunk in when we had already left for training in Russia. The feeling sank in very gradually,' he had said. He also shared that while he had no apprehensions about the mission, 'harbouring a little bit of anxiety is only sensible as it helps one to introspect.' (WITH AGENCY INPUTS)
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
Lucknow Prepares To Celebrate Local Boy's Historic Space Mission
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. 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.
The Print
a day ago
- Science
- The Print
Lucknow prepares to celebrate local boy's historic space mission
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 on Tuesday at 5:52 pm IST. Over 15 hoardings congratulating the 39-year-old Lucknow-born Indian Air Force pilot have come 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 him into history as the first Indian to step onto the ISS. Lucknow, Jun 9 (PTI) Lucknow will cheer for Group Captain Shubhanshu 'Shux' Shukla on Tuesday when he embarks on his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), with his alma mater – City Montessori School (CMS)- organising a grand public watch party here to celebrate the lift-off. 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 be watching it together as CMS has set up giant screens to relay live the launch 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 space fashion parade would be the other highlights of the launch party in Lucknow,' 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 said. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, Manager CMS, said there's palpable excitement among students across the city to witness this 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 which our son is leading and 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 preparation was for this moment, and CMS laid the cornerstone of that confidence.' CMS, Head of Communications, Rishi Khanna said the entire 'watch party' will be live-streamed on CMS's YouTube channel. PTI MAN KIS RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
a day ago
- Science
- The Print
India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla gets ready for historic spaceflight on Tuesday
The Lucknow-born Shukla, who goes by the call sign 'Shuks', is part of an ISRO-NASA supported commercial spaceflight by Axiom Space where all the customers are national governments. Shukla's travel to space marks India's return to human spaceflight 41 years after Rakesh Sharma scripted history by undertaking a journey to space onboard Soviet Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. New Delhi, Jun 9 (PTI) Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others were getting ready for their journey to the International Space Station on board SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket that is scheduled to blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida on Tuesday evening. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, set for lift-off from Launch Complex 39A of the KSC in Florida, comprises Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shukla and specialists Tigor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. 'Launch is targeted for 8:22 a.m. ET (5:52 pm IST), with a backup opportunity available on Wednesday, June 11 at 8:00 a.m. ET,' SpaceX, which has built the Falcon-9 rocket and the Dragon space capsule, said. The 14-day mission will 'realise the return' to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary. The Ax-4 crew and SpaceX teams completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities on Sunday ahead of liftoff. 'A proud global acknowledgement of India's Space capabilities… a befitting tribute to the founding fathers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan,' Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said. In Lucknow, Shukla's City Montessori School (CMS) has planned a 'public watch party' to celebrate his spaceflight. Several hoardings have come up across the city congratulating 'Shuks' for his spaceflight. CMS has set up giant screens to relay the SpaceX launch live with NASA/Axiom commentary. 'We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. Shux is incredibly focused yet brimming with joy',' Suchi Mishra, Shukla's sister, said in Lucknow. During the 14-day stay at the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and space industry leaders among others. Shukla is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA. The experiments aim to pioneer space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems vital for future long-duration space travel. ISRO has lined up a set of seven experiments for Shukla, who will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research program. It has drawn up plans to focus on India-centric food for carrying out experiments on the ISS, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions. Shukla will also expose the seeds to the macrobiotic conditions and bring them back to earth where they will be cultivated into plants not just once but over generations. Shukla's experience on the Axiom Mission 4 would be very well utilised on the Gaganyaan mission which is planned for 2027. ISRO is spending Rs 550 crore on the Axiom-4 mission. PTI SKU SKU RT RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
