Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to make history as the first Indian astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS). A embellished check pilot from the Indian Air Force and considered one of ISRO’s 4 astronauts chosen for India’s Gaganyaan mission, Shukla will serve as the pilot on the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). This milestone mission marks India’s return to human spaceflight after greater than 4 a long time and underscores its rising presence in worldwide area exploration.
Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla accomplished his education at City Montessori School, Lucknow. Inspired by the 1999 Kargil War, he was decided to serve the nation and cleared the UPSC National Defence Academy (NDA) examination. He earned his Bachelor of Science diploma in Computer Science in 2005. Later, throughout his astronaut coaching, he pursued a Master of Technology diploma in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, showcasing his sturdy educational basis in each navy and scientific disciplines.
Shukla was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in June 2006 as a Flying Officer in the fighter stream. Over the years, he has grow to be a extremely skilled and revered check pilot with over 2,000 hours of flying time throughout a variety of plane, together with the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier 228, and An-32. As a fight chief and experimental check pilot, Shukla’s experience in aviation made him a really perfect candidate for India’s rising human spaceflight program.
In 2019, Shukla was shortlisted by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) for ISRO’s first astronaut coaching group. After rigorous analysis, he was chosen amongst the last 4 astronauts. In 2020, he traveled to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia for primary spaceflight coaching, which he accomplished in 2021. He then returned to India for additional mission-specific preparation at ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore. His choice was formally introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2024, throughout a go to to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Group Captain Shukla will pilot the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a global collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, Axiom Space, and ISRO. Axiom Mission 4 is a deliberate non-public spaceflight to the International Space Station operated by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX and NASA. The flight is scheduled to carry off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center no sooner than June 9, 2025, at 12:46 UTC, and can final about two to three weeks.The crew contains commander Peggy Whitson (USA), mission specialists Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). Fellow vyomanaut Prasanth Nair is designated as the backup astronaut. Shukla’s participation marks a historic first for India at the ISS and is a vital step towards the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
The Ax-4 mission will conduct round 60 scientific experiments from 31 international locations, with seven chosen by ISRO from Indian researchers. These embrace research on:
These experiments mirror India’s rising curiosity in area biosciences and long-duration human spaceflight analysis.
Shubhanshu Shukla is married to Dr. Kamna, a dentist, and the couple has a four-year-old son. He comes from a humble household background — his father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, is a retired authorities officer, and his mom, Asha Shukla, is a homemaker. He is the youngest of three siblings. In his free time, Shukla enjoys bodily train, studying science and area literature.As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to embark on the historic Axiom Mission 4, he not solely carries the aspirations of a nation but additionally represents a brand new period in India’s area journey. From the skies as a fighter pilot to the huge expanse of area, his outstanding journey displays the energy of dedication, self-discipline, and scientific ambition. With his mission to the ISS, Shukla is set to encourage a brand new technology of Indians to dream past the boundaries of Earth and intention for the stars.