Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station

By R Anil Kumar

• All eyes are now on the Ax-4 space mission, which is scheduled for June 10. Launch is targeted for 8:22 am ET, with a backup opportunity available on Wednesday, June 11 at 8:00 am

• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is poised to make history as the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) on June 10, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).

• During the 14-day stay at the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and space industry leaders among others

• In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Shukla as one of the four astronaut-designates for India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, scheduled for 2026

Bengaluru. India’s next space hero- It’s Shubhanshu Shukla. In a historic leap for India’s space exploration, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

Scheduled for launch on June 10, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), Shukla’s journey will make history as he becomes the first Indian astronaut to travel to the ISS.

Axiom Mission 4

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is a pioneering private spaceflight mission that will not only send India’s first private astronaut to space but also mark the return to human spaceflight for Poland and Hungary, countries that have not had a government-sponsored mission in over 40 years.

The mission will be led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Shubhanshu Shukla serving as the mission pilot.

The crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting scientific experiments, educational outreach, and commercial activities as part of their collaboration with NASA and ISRO.

Shubhanshu’s early life and education

Born in October 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla’s fascination with aviation began in his youth. Inspired by the 1999 Kargil War, he independently applied for and cleared the UPSC NDA examination.

He completed his military training and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the National Defence Academy in 2005. Later, he pursued a Master of Technology in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, further solidifying his foundation in aerospace sciences.

A distinguished career in the Indian Air Force (IAF)

Commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in June 2006, Shukla quickly rose through the ranks, achieving the position of Group Captain by March 2024. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he has piloted various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier 228, and An-32.

Shukla’s expertise as a test pilot and combat leader highlights his exceptional skills and dedication to the IAF, and justifies the titles he has earned over the years – ‘wicked smart’, being one of them.

The path to space: Gaganyaan and Axiom Mission 4

In 2019, Shukla was selected by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) for India’s Human Spaceflight Programme. He underwent rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia, completing his basic training in 2021.

After that, he attended advanced training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.

In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Shukla as one of the four astronaut-designates for India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, scheduled for 2026.

However, Shukla’s journey to the ISS will occur earlier, as he has been selected as the pilot for Axiom Mission 4, a private spaceflight collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space.

Preparations for the historic mission

Preparing for this historic mission, Shukla and his fellow astronauts underwent extensive training with international space agencies, including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

They completed rigorous training at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, where they learned about communication systems, emergency response procedures, and conducted research activities inside the Columbus module of the ISS.

The training also included sessions at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, focusing on the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo).

Shubhanshu’s Personal life

Shubhanshu Shukla is married to Dr. Kamna Shukla, a dentist, and they have a four-year-old son. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, is a retired government officer, while his mother, Asha Shukla, is a homemaker.

He is the youngest of three siblings; his elder sister, Nidhi, holds an MBA degree, and his other elder sister, Suchi, works as a school teacher.

In his leisure time, Shukla is known to enjoy physical exercise and reading books on science and space. He has recently developed an interest in horoscopes, despite identifying as agnostic.

Carrying the legacy forward

Shubhanshu Shukla, who goes by the nickname “Shuks”, with the historic Ax-4 mission, is set to become the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984.

Sharma made history on April 3, 1984, when he launched aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 as part of the Intercosmos program.

During his mission, he had spent approximately 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes in space, making him the first and only Indian national to achieve this feat.

Since then, several individuals of Indian origin, like Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, have travelled to space, but they were not Indian citizens at the time of their missions.

Notably, Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, and Raja Chari are astronauts of Indian descent who flew as part of NASA missions. Williams, amongst them, holds the record for the most spaceflights by an astronaut of Indian origin, having completed three missions.

Both Williams and Chari have also conducted long-duration spaceflights. However, with the Ax-4 mission, Shukla is set to become the second Indian citizen to travel to space, and the first one to visit the ISS.

This mission is a collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and ISRO – which not only marks a significant chapter in global collaborative efforts, but also checks a historic milestone in India’s space exploration conquests.

ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to pilot Axiom-4 mission on June 10, become first Indian to join ISS: 10 things to know

Ax-4 will be the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary conduct a mission on board the International Space Station. It also marks these countries’ second human spaceflight mission in history.

The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission crew is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on June 10 at 8:22 AM EDT (5:52 pm IST).

ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is part of the four-member crew and will pilot the historic Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew is likely to dock at the ISS on June 11 at about 10 pm IST, after a nearly 28-hour journey.

The mission is expected to last 14 days. The spaceflight was originally scheduled for May 29 and then rescheduled to June 8. It will now finally take off on June 10.

All About Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 mission:

• Ax-4 will be the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary conduct a mission on board the International Space Station. It also marks these countries’ second human spaceflight mission in history.
• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian to join the ISS, and only the second ever in orbit. The Axiom-4 mission will mark India’s return to space 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s historic spaceflight onboard Russia’s Soyuz mission in 1984.
• Shubhanshu Shukla is a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). He has been handpicked as one of the four astronauts for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) historic Gaganyaan mission — the nation’s inaugural human space flight endeavour.
• Shukla’s experience on the Axiom Mission 4 would be very well utilised on the Gaganyaan mission, which is planned for 2027.
• Shukla, the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) commercial mission to the ISS, will be accompanied by former NASA astronaut and mission commander Peggy Whitson, specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.
• Axiom-4 mission has lined up 60 experiments to be conducted by the four-member crew onboard the ISS, including seven planned by ISRO and five others that Shukla will participate in for NASA’s human research programme. Shukla will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research program.
• Shukla is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments. He will also expose the seeds to the macrobiotic conditions and bring them back to earth, where they will be cultivated into plants not just once but over generations. Shukla has also promised to perform yoga poses in the ISS.
• Science and Technology minister Jitendra Singh said India is set to conduct its first-ever biological experiments aboard the ISS to study the sustainability of human life in space. He said the first experiment at the ISS will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on the growth of edible microalgae, a nutrient-rich potential food source for long-duration space missions.
• Besides, Shukla will study physical, cognitive and physiological responses in space as well as the impact of utilizing continuous electronic displays in microgravity, an important aspect for future long-duration space missions, Jitendra Singh was quoted by PTI as saying.
• Each astronaut aboard the Axiom- mission will be contributing to a first-of-its-kind medical study — an experiment called Suite Ride — that could redefine who gets to go to space.
• Axiom Space has partnered with Burjeel Holdings to test a suite of tools and technologies needed to support astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes, enabling them to live and work in space.
• During the 14-day stay at the ISS, the Ax-4 crew is expected to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and space industry leaders among others.
• Shukla said he will also be carrying a special memento on his space flight for his mentor Rakesh Sharma. He said the special memento would be revealed once he returns from the Axiom-4 mission and meets Sharma, who has guided him throughout the training period.
• Shukla said he would be carrying Indian delicacies such as mango nectar, moong dal halwa and carrot halwa on the space flight. On the Indian cultural reference to swan – the zero gravity indicator “Joy” – Shukla said the bird was the vehicle of goddess Saraswati symbolising wisdom, learning and purity.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is spending Rs. 550 crore on the Axiom-4 mission.