Houston, Texas: After completing an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has reunited with his family in Houston. He was embraced by his wife, Kamna Shukla, and their six-year-old son, Kiash, marking an emotional end to a groundbreaking journey that made him the first Indian to spend nearly three weeks aboard the ISS.
Sharing a heartfelt post on Instagram, Shukla reflected on the emotional moment, saying, “Coming back to Earth and holding my family back in my arms felt like home.” He added, “Human spaceflight missions are magical but they are made magical by the humans.”
Kamna expressed relief and joy following his safe return. “Our focus now is on his rehabilitation and helping him smoothly readjust to life on Earth,” she told PTI. “This reunion alone is a celebration for our family.” She also mentioned preparing his favorite home-cooked meals to bring a sense of normalcy and warmth after the mission.
Shukla returned to Earth alongside commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The Axiom-4 mission team splashed down safely after a 22-hour journey aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
This historic flight makes Shukla the second Indian to enter space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission, and the first to visit the ISS—a major milestone for India’s presence in global space exploration.
Kamna also shared how deeply moving it was to receive calls from the ISS during the mission. “Those moments, hearing his voice and learning about his incredible experiments, were the highlight of each day,” she said.
The couple, who have known each other since childhood and married in 2009, are alumni of Lucknow’s City Montessori School.
Looking ahead, Shukla is already being considered for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, India’s first crewed spaceflight, set for 2027.
