'None of this would matter without you': IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla’s note to wife before space launch

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force, one of four astronauts aboard the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, is set to make history as the mission prepares for launch on Wednesday. Scheduled to lift off at 12:01 pm IST (2:31 am EDT) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, the mission was originally slated for June 22 but was subsequently rescheduled.

In the final hours before his departure from Earth, Shukla took to Instagram to express his gratitude to the many people who made the mission possible—and shared a deeply personal message of thanks for his wife, Kamna.

“As we plan to leave the planet early morning of 25 Jun, I wish to thank everyone who has been involved in this mission for their support and also to all the people back home for their blessings and love,” Shukla wrote in a heartfelt post.

“Special thanks to Kamna for being the wonderful partner that you are. Without you none of this was possible but more importantly none of this would matter,” he added. Alongside the note, Shukla posted a poignant photograph of the couple saying goodbye through opposite sides of a glass wall—a powerful image of love and sacrifice.

According to a report by the Times of India, the couple’s journey together began in childhood. Shukla and Kamna first met in primary school in Lucknow and have remained each other’s closest companions since. “We’ve studied together since Class 3. We’ve been best friends. I’ve known him as Gunjan, as Shubhanshu—the shy guy in our classroom—who’s now inspiring so many people,” said Kamna, reflecting on their decades-long relationship. The couple are also parents to a six-year-old son.