NEW DELHI: The moment Axiom Mission 4 successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, the Shukla household in Lucknow erupted with emotion. Asha Shukla, mother of IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, folded her hands in silent prayer as her eyes welled up with tears while watching the live telecast. Beside her, his father Shambhu Dayal Shukla stood with pride beaming on his face.Shubhanshu’s former school witnessed spontaneous applause and cheers as students and parents waved Tiranga, celebrating the moment their alumnus made history.The 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot became the second Indian to enter space after Rakesh Sharma, marking a historic moment for India’s growing presence in the global space community. The spacecraft, which launched from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, took 28 hours to reach the ISS.‘Just wait for me, I’m coming,’ he had told his parentsAhead of the mission, Shukla had one simple message for his family, “Just wait for me, I’m coming.” On Wednesday, in a deeply Indian gesture of blessing, his mother Asha Shukla performed a virtual dahi-cheeni ritual, feeding him yogurt and sugar over video call, praying for good luck.Her eyes were welled up with tears as she watched her son soar into the skies. “These are tears of joy… he’s going so far, but he will come back stronger,” she said. His sister Gunjan Shukla echoed the emotion: “We’re proud and overwhelmed. It’s like a festival in our home today.”A proud father, a symbolic flagHis father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, couldn’t hold back his pride. “It’s the happiest day of our lives. We are now known by his name. Our son is bringing glory to the country,” he said, beaming as he watched the docking live.Shubhanshu Shukla docking Space Station: Live UpdatesA message from space: ‘The Tiranga tells me I am with all of you’After the successful docking, Shukla sent a message from orbit, “The Tiranga embossed on my shoulders tells me that I am with all of you. We’re orbiting Earth at 7.5 km per second. This isn’t just my journey — it’s the beginning of India’s Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!”A new chapter for India in spaceWhile India hasn’t revealed the cost of sending Shukla to space, reports suggest nations like Hungary paid up to $100 million for a seat on similar missions. But for many Indians, the emotional value of this mission is priceless.As the Axiom-4 crew floated into the ISS, India floated a little higher, on pride, on hope, and on the shoulders of a man carrying the nation’s flag across the stars.