Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is poised to become the first Indian astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on a private mission. Shukla will board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a milestone in the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a joint venture between Nasa and Isro.
The US space agency Nasa announced on Thursday that the spaceflight is scheduled for no earlier than spring 2025.
IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla expressed his excitement, stating that he looks forward to sharing his experience with ‘Bharatvaasis’. He also revealed plans to carry items representing India on his spaceflight and hopes to perform yoga poses aboard the ISS.
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?
The Axiom Mission 4 website describes Shubhanshu Shukla as a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, he was commissioned into the IAF Fighter Wing in June 2006.
A seasoned test pilot and combat leader, he has amassed over 2,000 hours of flight experience across multiple aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. In March 2024, he was promoted to Group Captain and currently serves as the astronaut-designate for India’s human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan.
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Shukla’s Journey to Becoming an AstronautIn 2019, Shubhanshu received a call from Isro, marking the beginning of an intensive journey. He underwent rigorous astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia, completing a year-long program that prepared him for spaceflight.
Notably, Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission under the Interkosmos program.
What is Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-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.
This mission will be the first time all three nations—India, Poland, and Hungary—collaborate on a mission aboard the ISS.
“This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally,” the mission website states.
Mission crew and objectives
The mission will be led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is now Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the mission pilot, alongside two mission specialists: European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The Ax-4 astronauts will spend up to 14 days aboard the ISS, conducting a range of scientific experiments, educational outreach, and commercial activities, as part of their collaboration with Nasa and Isro.