Sky was never the limit': New book celebrates India's space hero Shubhanshu Shukla

New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Touted to be the first biography of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the new book, "Sky Was Never the Limit", delves into the remarkable journey of India's decorated fighter pilot, test pilot, and space mission commander, offering thrilling glimpses into life behind the cockpit and within India’s elite aviation community.

Written by documentary filmmaker Narayan R and published by Rupa, the book offers an emotional narrative behind a "seemingly stoic spacefarer".

Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force (IAF), who was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26, made history as the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission.

He returned to Earth on 15 July.

"Four decades after India's first spacefarer, he soared beyond Earth's cradle to the ISS -- becoming the second Indian in space, and the first to cross that threshold in a new era. This is not just the chronicle of a mission, but the odyssey of a mind -- how a boy of gravity became a man of sky, and how one life rose to carry the dreams of a billion," reads the prologue of the book.

Told across seven chapters -- including 'From Lucknow to Low Earth Orbit', 'No Legacy, Only Determination', 'A Hero’s Inner Journey', and 'A Nation’s Pride, A Billion Hopes' -- Shukla’s story also includes heartfelt reflections from family, mentors, and his lifelong companion, childhood sweetheart and now wife, Kamna.

"Sky Was Never the Limit: The Story of Shubhanshu Shukla", priced at Rs 295, is available for purchase across online and offline stores. PTI MG BK BK