Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian Air Force officer who made history as the first Indian to live aboard the International Space Station (ISS), was reunited with his wife and son in Houston on Wednesday after completing his space mission and two-month-long quarantine.
In a heartfelt social media post, the ISRO, shared photographs of his emotional reunion with his wife Kamna and their six-year-old son Kiash. Shukla had returned to Earth on Tuesday, 15 July, following the successful conclusion of the private Axiom-4 mission, which lasted 18 days in orbit.
“Space flight is amazing but seeing your loved ones after a long time is equally amazing,” Shukla wrote on Instagram. “It has been two months since I entered quarantine. During the quarantine family visits we had to be eight metres apart. My little one had to be told that he had germs on his hands and that is why he could not touch his father. Every time he would come for the visit, he would ask his mum: ‘Can I wash my hands?’ It was challenging.”
The astronaut added: “Coming back to Earth and holding my family back in my arms felt like home. Find a loved one today and tell them that you love them. We often get busy in life and forget how important the people in our lives are. Human spaceflight missions are magical but they are made magical by the humans.”
Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 crew that included commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The quartet conducted 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach sessions while aboard the ISS, covering a range of topics including muscle regeneration, algal and microbial growth, crop viability, cognitive performance, and cyanobacteria behaviour in microgravity.
Back in Europe, Uznanski-Wisniewski received a hero’s welcome in Cologne, Germany, where he landed less than 24 hours after returning to Earth.
The Axiom-4 mission marked a return to human spaceflight for India, Hungary and Poland, the first in over four decades. For India, Shukla’s journey builds on the legacy of Rakesh Sharma, who flew to space aboard a Soviet mission in 1984.
Also read: Axiom-4 Splashdown: Shukla’s stellar space journey inspires
Shukla, a graduate of Lucknow’s City Montessori School, has become a source of inspiration for students across India. The school now celebrates him as a role model for young minds aspiring to explore science, technology and space.
Kamna Shukla, who has been by her husband's side throughout the rigorous training and launch preparations since June in Florida, expressed immense relief and joy. “Now that Shubhanshu has safely returned, our immediate focus will be on his rehabilitation and ensuring he smoothly readjusts to life on Earth,” she said in a statement from Houston.
“I am already preparing some of his favourite dishes, knowing how much he must have missed home-cooked meals during his time in space,” she added.
Kamna, who met Shukla when they were classmates in Class 3, reflected on his journey from a “shy young man” to one of the country’s most celebrated astronauts. The couple married in 2009 and have remained each other’s steady support since.
She fondly recounted the emotional moment when she received a call from Shukla right after the Axiom-4 capsule docked at the ISS. “Hearing his voice and knowing he was safe meant the world to me. Our conversations typically revolved around his daily activities, the unique experiments he conducted, and the extraordinary experiences he encountered, which were vastly different from life on Earth. These phone calls became the highlight of my day through 18 days,” she stated.
Shukla is also set to play a crucial role in ISRO’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for launch in 2027. The Gaganyaan project aims to send Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit aboard an indigenous spacecraft, marking the country’s entry into independent human spaceflight capability.
Kamna hopes Shukla’s journey will inspire generations of students to dream big. “The essence of Shubhanshu’s mission was always about inspiring the younger generation to pursue STEM fields, to innovate, and to bring cutting-edge technology to India,” she said.
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