Shubhanshu Shukla: The IAF Officer leading India’s historic International Space Station Mission!

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to make history as the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). He will pilot Axiom Mission 4 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Florida. NASA announced the launch will take place no earlier than spring 2025. This mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Excited about his journey, Shukla shared his enthusiasm on Thursday. He looks forward to bringing items that represent India and even attempting yoga poses aboard the ISS. He also expressed his eagerness to share his experience with Indians back home.

Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shukla has an impressive aviation career. Commissioned into the IAF fighter wing in June 2006, he has logged 2,000 hours of flight time on aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. Promoted to Group Captain in March 2024, he now stands at the forefront of India’s space ambitions.

In 2019, ISRO called him for astronaut training, setting his career on a new trajectory. He underwent rigorous preparation at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow. His role as an astronaut extends beyond Axiom Mission 4—he is also designated for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

What is Axiom Mission 4?

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) will mark the return of human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary. While Poland and Hungary are launching government-sponsored missions for the first time in over 40 years, India is making its ISS debut. This is also the first time all three nations will execute a mission together on the ISS.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight, will command the mission. Shukla will serve as the mission pilot, alongside mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

The crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting scientific research, outreach programs, and commercial activities. Axiom Space emphasized that this mission is a major step in shaping global space programs and expanding human presence in low-Earth orbit.

Shukla follows in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, India’s first astronaut, who flew aboard the USSR’s Soyuz T-11 mission in 1984. Now, nearly four decades later, Shukla is set to take India back to space—this time to the ISS, marking a new chapter in the nation’s space journey.