BENGALURU: Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will make history as the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station (ISS), traveling aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the space station in Florida in the near future.
Shubhanshu Shukla has been designated as the pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 to the ISS, a collaborative mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). NASA announced on Thursday that the spaceflight is scheduled to launch "no earlier than spring 2025."
IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla expressed his excitement about sharing his experience with “Bharatvaasis” and mentioned that he plans to carry items symbolizing the country on his space journey. He also hopes to perform some yoga poses aboard the orbital laboratory.
Shubhanshu Shukla is a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. According to the Axiom Mission 4 website, he was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter wing in June 2006. With extensive experience as a combat leader and test pilot, Shukla has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours on a variety of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Shubhanshu Shukla was elevated to the rank of Group Captain in March 2024. Shubhanshu Shukla is also the astronaut-designate for India's Gaganyaan mission, the country's first human spaceflight program.
In 2019, Shukla received a significant call from ISRO, as noted on the Axiom website. This led him to undergo intense training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia, a year-long preparation that played a pivotal role in shaping his future.
Notably, Rakesh Sharma made history as the first Indian to travel to space in 1984 aboard the USSR’s Soyuz T-11 mission, as part of the Soviet Intercosmos program.
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