New Delhi/Lucknow, June 26 -- As he zoomed into space on board the SpaceX Falcon 9-rocket on Wednesday, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shuka gave wing to the hopes of an entire nation - and realised his own dream that likely first took shape when he attended an air show as a child.
The 39-year-old, who propelled himself into history as the first Indian on the International Space Station and only the second to go into space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984, has more than 2,000 hours of flying experience on a wide range of fighter jets over a decade-long career in the Indian Air Force.
The Lucknow-born Shukla, who goes by the call sign 'Shux', is part of an ISRO-NASA supported commercial spaceflight by Axiom Space that blasted off for a 14-day sojourn...