Lucknow, June 26 -- : There were tears of joy for Asha Shukla, mother of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of Lucknow, as she watched the special live telecast of her son and the rest of the Axiom-4 crew settled in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday. Shubhanshu's sister Shuchi Mishra was by her side, giving her a pat on the back. All the while, an expression of pride was visible on the father Shambhu Dayal Shukla's face.

The special live telecast was arranged by Shubhanshu Shukla's alma mater - City Montessori School - at the World Unity Convention Centre, Kanpur Road campus. Surrounded by students, teachers and photographers soon after the lift-off, the family was the cynosure of all eyes at the event.

The last minute on the live ti...