Lucknow,25 June 

Chants of Hip Hip Hurray, spontaneous bhangra and quiet tears. It was a morning to remember at the City Montessori School as Lucknow boy Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off into space  and history on board the SpaceX Falcon 9-rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida on Wednesday.

As the rocket pierced through Florida skies, Group Captain Shukla became only the second Indian history to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984 and the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station.

"It's a great moment not just for us but for our country. What can we say at this moment, I am struggling for words now. My blessings are always there with my son," his father Shambhu Shukla told PTI.

"I have nothing more to say at this moment. I am delighted," Shubhanshu's mother Asha Shukla said. "I know he will be successful. Though I am eagerly looking forward for him to return after a successful mission, I also know that even after returning back on earth, it will take a while before he actually gets to back amongst us," she told PTI.

The proud parents were there with many others at CMS Kanpur Road's World Unity Convention Centre (WUCC) auditorium to witness the launch live. Among those gathered were his his sisters, senior defence personnel, CMS faculty, the city's who's who and wide-eyed students.

There was thunderous applause, cheers and impromptu bhangra as the rocket lifted off.

Posters of Shubhanshu congratulating him on his historic space voyage have come up all over the state capital. And his alma mater CMS hosted Vyomotsav, an immersive watch-party that transformed the campus into a vibrant mini space centre, paying tribute to its illustrious alumnus.

The celebrations are set to continue through the day. CMS also arranged a live AXIOM mission broadcast, a replica of the ISS Cupola module, a Defy Gravity photo booth, telescope viewings, and a simulated Mission Control Centre.

Born in Lucknow in 1985 and educated from Montessori through Class 12 at CMS Aliganj, Shukla went on to graduate from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience on elite combat aircraft, he was selected in 2019 for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and later chosen as the pilot for Ax-4.

Sharing the capsule with NASA senior Dr. Peggy Whitson (mission commander) and astronauts from Hungary and Poland, the 39-year-old's 14-day mission as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space will contribute to microgravity research in areas including human physiology, nutrition, and seed germination in space.

CMS founder-director Bharti Gandhi said, "Many CMS students have brought us laurels, but Shubhanshu's journey to space will forever shine as a beacon of possibility for every Indian child."

Added the school president and manager Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, "We are all overjoyed. Though their rocket is yet to reach the space, we are already over the moon."

"From a curious young learner in our classrooms to a pioneering astronaut, Shux's story beautifully encapsulates our school's mission of 'Education for World Unity and Peace'."