Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to etch his name in the history books as the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Capt. Shukla, who is one of the four astronaut candidates for the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, will travel to the ISS onboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight, Peggy Whitson, will command the commercial mission, and Capt. Shukla will be the pilot of the Axiom Mission 4, which will be launched "no earlier than spring 2025."
Capt. Shukla was born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from the National Defence Academy and joined the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 17, 2006.
An experienced test pilot with about 2,000 hours of flying experience, Capt. Shukla has flown various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier 228, and An-32.
Capt. Shukla's name was included in the astronaut selection process in 2019 by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), and later, he was shortlisted in the final selection.
In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the names of the four astronauts selected for India's first manned mission to the moon. Capt. Shukla, who was then a Wing Commander, was named along with Captain Prasanth Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, and Group Captain Angad Pratap.
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"I am really, really excited to go into microgravity and experience spaceflight on my own. The tempo for the mission has been building up each month, and I think we are at a stage where all the pieces are kind of coming together. I am extremely excited to see how this unfolds in the coming months," Capt. Shukla said on Thursday.
The 39-year-old also said that he was looking forward to sharing his experiences with the 1.4 billion people of India.
He would also be carrying a lot of items representing the regions in particular and India in general to honour his country.
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