Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 26 (ANI): The family of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) pilot and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is scheduled to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Thursday evening.

Shukla's parents, father Shambhu Dayal Shukla, mother Asha Shukla, and sister Shuchi Mishra, will meet the Chief Minister in celebration of his selection as the mission pilot for Axiom Mission 4. Shukla is the first Indian to journey to the International Space Station (ISS) since Rakesh Sharma in 1984.

Earlier in the day, the family, along with friends and relatives, gathered at Shukla's former school in Lucknow to watch the live telecast of the Axiom-4 spacecraft's successful docking at the ISS.

Asha Shukla, mother of IAF Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla could be seen getting emotional and tearing up as she watched the live telecast of docking of Axiom-4 Mission.

Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, spoke to ANI earlier in the day before the docking program and told ANI, 'We are extremely proud. We have been praying for his success. This is a proud day for us...We will meet him (CM Yogi Adityanath) at 6 pm today.'

Shubhanshu Shukla, Asha Shukla had also expressed excitement and said, 'It feels great...We are waiting for the docking program...We are excited. We will meet him (CM Yogi Adityanath) in the evening.'

His sister, Shuchi Mishra, also expressed her pride, saying, '...This is a proud moment not just for me but for all Indians. This is a very crucial stage. I pray for this stage too to pass quickly and that they are safe...'

Axiom 4 mission aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday. The Dragon spacecraft was ahead of schedule, autonomously docking at 4:05 pm (IST) to the space-facing port of the space station's Harmony module.

NASA Flight Engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers monitored Dragon's automated approach and docking manoeuvres.

Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary lifted off at Noon IST on June 25, on the SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The astronauts plan to spend about two weeks aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission is sending the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency.

The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.

In a live interaction from orbit, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla described the launch as 'magical'.

'I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts--what a ride it was. Honestly, as I sat in the capsule 'Grace' on the launchpad yesterday after 30 days of quarantine, all I could think was: just go. When the launch finally happened, it was something else entirely. You're pushed back into the seat--and then suddenly, there's silence. You're just floating in the vacuum, and it's magical,' Shukla said.

He expressed gratitude to the mission team, calling the experience a 'collective achievement.'I truly appreciate the efforts of every individual who made this journey possible. It's not just a personal accomplishment--it belongs to all of us,' he said.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre at noon IST on Wednesday with Shukla, Whitson, Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Kapu onboard.

Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission is its most research-intensive mission yet. The astronauts will conduct joint NASA-ISRO experiments on topics such as muscle regeneration, the growth of edible microalgae, survival of aquatic microorganisms, and human interaction with digital interfaces in microgravity. (ANI)