Shambhu Dayal Shukla, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla’s father, who is being chosen as the ‘prime Gaganyatri’ for the first Indo-US collaborative mission to the International Space Station, corroborated that their family has “never been nervous” about their son. He said they always keep a positive attitude and wish for the success of this mission.
The Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday announced that Shukla will be the prime pilot for the mission to the ISS. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair has been selected as the ‘backup Gaganyatri’ for the mission.
VIDEO | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was selected for an upcoming Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
His father Shambhu Dayal Shukla said, "Neither us nor our son is nervous. We don't think negatively and we just believe in God… We are becoming… pic.twitter.com/c2lPJ9ZTUW
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 3, 2024
“Neither we nor our son is nervous. We don’t think negatively, and we just believe in God. We are becoming happier as our son is achieving more success,” he said.
“I wish this mission to be successful. Initially, I was against him joining the armed forces and wished that he would get into civil service, but he was selected without my knowledge, and since he was selected, how could I oppose it? The moment we got the news, nothing could match it, and when the PM gave him the badge, we knew it was unforgettable. We never think negatively; it’s all God’s will, and everything happens for the good,” he told ANI.
Usha Shukla, mother of Shubhanshu Shukla, said during an interaction that Shubhanshu has always been a brilliant student.
“Yes, we are so happy that there has been no boundary, but there is a little bit of nervousness with all these things about the mission. Yesterday, he left for the US, where he will receive training. Everyone in the family is very happy. Since childhood he has been very brilliant, working very hard,” she said.
Last year, in June, during the official visit of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, to the US, a joint release was signed between India and the US outlining plans of an ISRO-NASA combined mission to the International Space Station.
The Gaganyatri will conduct some scientific research, technology demonstration experiments, and space outreach exercises in the ISS during the mission.
The learnings from the mission will be used for India’s Human Space Programme and further cooperation between ISRO and NASA on human spaceflight.
The HSFC of ISRO has signed a Space Flight Agreement with Axiom Space Inc, USA, identified the service provider of NASA, for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, which will meet the joint ISRO-NASA mission goal.
The National Mission Assignment Board has proposed the name of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as prime Mission Pilot and that of Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair as backup Mission Pilot for the mission. ISRO has informed that the selected Gaganyatris would start their training toward their mission training in the first week of August only.
Gaganyaan project: Demonstration of Human Spaceflight capability through the orbital module carrying three crew members to a low earth orbit of 400 km for a mission duration of typically three to seven days. The module will then be safely recovered, making a water-landing in Indian Sea waters. Four astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan project have undergone training in Russia at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Various ISRO centres are preparing for the country’s first human space flight programme, Gaganyaan mission.