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

India’s next space hero is here. 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.

What is 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.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.

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. His 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.

Preparing for the historic mission

To prepare 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).

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 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 traveled 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.