'Tell your loved ones that you love them': Shubhanshu Shukla after reuniting with family

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) In an emotional reunion, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla reunited with his wife, Kamna Shukla and six-year-old son Kiash Shukla after his 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.

“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,” the astronaut posted on social media.

Shukla said that space flight is amazing, but seeing your loved ones after a long time is equally amazing.

“It has been two months since I entered quarantine. During the quarantine, family visits, we had to be 8 m 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 mom ‘Can I wash my hands?’ It was challenging,” he wrote.

Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS).

The 20-day mission, led by private American company Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA, SpaceX, and other government space agencies, including ISRO, launched to the ISS on June 26.

Shukla returned to Earth on Tuesday along with fellow astronauts from the US, Poland, and Hungary aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace".

Lucknow-born Shukla was included in the astronaut selection process by ISRO in 2019 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 announced from the Red Fort that a son or daughter of India would go to space very soon.

In January 2025, the 39-year-old astronaut was selected as the pilot for the Ax-4 mission -- a collaborative mission between NASA and ISRO.

The IAF officer became the youngest astronaut-designate under India's Gaganyaan mission -- the country’s first human spaceflight mission.

Shukla's mission is not only an inspiration for billions of Indians but also a key stepping stone for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, slated for 2027.

--IANS

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