Group Captain Shubhanshu 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 Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a private astronaut mission launching aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft no earlier than spring 2025.
Shukla, a Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, will join a crew led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who will serve as mission commander. He will be accompanied by two mission specialists—Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This mission will not only send the first ISRO astronaut to the ISS but will also mark the first stay aboard the station for astronauts from Poland and Hungary.
Expressing his excitement about the mission, Shukla said he hopes to share his experience with the people of India. He plans to carry cultural items from different parts of the country and even intends to perform yoga poses aboard the ISS. “Even as an individual travelling to space, this is the journey of 1.4 billion people,” he said. The mission will last up to 14 days, during which the crew will conduct scientific experiments, outreach programmes, and commercial activities in microgravity.
The Ax-4 mission is part of a broader effort to expand private astronaut access to low Earth orbit. According to Dana Weigel, manager of Nasa’s ISS programme, private missions like Ax-4 help pave the way for a sustainable low Earth orbit economy, enabling future deep space exploration. Whitson also praised the dedication of the Ax-4 crew, calling their commitment to space exploration “truly remarkable.”
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?
- Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow.
- Commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in June 2006 as a fighter pilot.
- Holds the rank of Group Captain, achieved in March 2024.
- Has over 2,000 flight hours on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
- Underwent astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia in 2019.
- Selected by ISRO for India’s Gaganyaan mission, the country’s first human spaceflight programme.
- First ISRO astronaut to travel to the ISS as part of a NASA-Axiom Space collaboration.
- Plans to capture his space experience through photos and videos for people back home.
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