Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is ready to make historical past as the primary Indian astronaut to journey to the Worldwide House Station (ISS). He has been chosen because the pilot for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a non-public astronaut mission launching aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft no sooner than spring 2025.
Shukla, a Indian Air Pressure (IAF) pilot, will be part of a crew led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who will function mission commander. He will likely be accompanied by two mission specialists—Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This mission is not going to solely ship the primary ISRO astronaut to the ISS however will even mark the primary keep aboard the station for astronauts from Poland and Hungary.
Expressing his pleasure in regards to the mission, Shukla stated he hopes to share his expertise with the individuals of India. He plans to hold cultural gadgets from completely different components of the nation and even intends to carry out yoga poses aboard the ISS. “Even as an individual travelling to space, this is the journey of 1.4 billion people,” he stated. The mission will last as long as 14 days, throughout which the crew will conduct scientific experiments, outreach programmes, and industrial actions in microgravity.
The Ax-4 mission is a part of a broader effort to broaden non-public astronaut entry to low Earth orbit. In response to Dana Weigel, supervisor of Nasa’s ISS programme, non-public missions like Ax-4 assist pave the best way for a sustainable low Earth orbit economic system, enabling future deep house exploration. Whitson additionally praised the dedication of the Ax-4 crew, calling their dedication to house exploration “truly remarkable.”
Who’s Shubhanshu Shukla?
- Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow.
- Commissioned into the Indian Air Pressure (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 varied plane, together with the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
- Underwent astronaut coaching on the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Coaching Centre in Russia in 2019.
- Chosen by ISRO for India’s Gaganyaan mission, the nation’s first human spaceflight programme.
- First ISRO astronaut to journey to the ISS as a part of a NASA-Axiom House collaboration.
- Plans to seize his house expertise by way of images and movies for individuals again dwelling.
