Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla to Make History as First Indian Astronaut to Travel to ISS

Lucknow: Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla is set to make history as the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). He has been selected as the pilot for Axium Mission 4 (Ax-4), scheduled to launch in the spring of 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Shukla, a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), will be part of a mission crew led by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and commander of the mission. Joining them will be two mission specialists—Slawomir Użnanski-Visznevski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This mission will not only mark India’s first astronaut’s journey to the ISS but will also be the first time astronauts from Poland and Hungary will travel to the ISS.

Expressing his excitement about the mission, Shukla stated that he wants to share this monumental experience with the people of India. He plans to carry cultural items from different parts of the country and intends to practice yoga while aboard the ISS. “This journey is not just mine; it is the journey of 1.4 billion people,” he said. The mission will last 14 days, during which the crew will engage in scientific experiments, outreach programs, and commercial activities in microgravity.

The Ax-4 mission is part of a larger initiative aimed at providing private astronauts access to low Earth orbit. Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS program manager, commented that private missions like Ax-4 are paving the way for a sustainable economy in low Earth orbit, which will ultimately enable deep space exploration in the future. Whitson, praising the crew’s dedication, said their commitment to space exploration is “truly unique.”

About Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla:

  • Born: October 10, 1985, in Lucknow.
  • Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006.
  • Promoted to Group Captain in March 2024.
  • Accumulated over 2,000 flight hours in various aircraft.
  • Trained as an astronaut at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in 2019.
  • Selected by ISRO for the Gaganyaan mission.

Shukla’s journey to space represents not just a personal achievement, but a moment of pride for India, as the nation continues to make strides in space exploration.

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