Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as the Indian Group Captain for ISRO’s (India’s National Space Agency) first collaborative mission with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), an American space agency to the International Space Station (ISS) this year.  

Shukla is set to join the Axiom-4 mission, which focuses on conducting scientific research, space outreach initiatives, and technology demonstration experiments on the ISS. After the mission, he will become the second Indian to travel to space, four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission. 

What is the Axiom-4 mission with Shubhanshu Shukla as group captain? 

The Axiom-4 mission is the first collaborative mission between Axiom Space, a private space company, and NASA, which will be launched by a SpaceX rocket. Alongside Shukla, astronauts from Poland, Hungary, and the United States will be part of the mission.

India’s participation in the mission was confirmed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States last year. 

The ISS will host the Axiom-4 spacecraft for a 14-day mission, during which it will carry astronauts, cargo and supplies. NASA’s proposes October 2024 for the launch, while Poland’s space agency consider it might occur next year. The exact date is still unclear.

Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla? 

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was born on October 10, 1985. He joined the Indian Air Force on June 17, 2006, in the fighter stream and currently holds the role of a fighter combat test. Shukla has 2,000 hours of flying experience.

He has flown various aircrafts such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mig-21, Mig-29, An-32, Dornier, Hawk, and Jaguar. Indian Air Force later promoted Shukla from a being Wing Commander to Group Captain.

Who else will be part of the Gaganyaan mission? 

NASA will send India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS. ISRO announced that it has selected Shukla, 39 years old, and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, 48 years old, for the Axiom-4 mission. 

Shukla is the lead astronaut, while Nair serves as the backup. The mission highlights India’s growing space expertise, following the legacy of Rakesh Sharma, who remains the only Indian to travel to space till now. 

India has shortlisted Shukla and Nair, along with two other Indian Air Force officers, for its first manned space mission, Gaganyaan, tentatively scheduled for the upcoming year.  

What is the Gaganyaan mission and why is it important to India? 

The Gaganyaan project mission aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three to a 400 km orbit for a 3-day mission and bringing them back to Earth safely by landing in the Indian Sea. 

The Gaganyaan mission will add to the knowledge acquired through the ISS mission, furthering India’s objectives in human space travel.  

ISRO Chairman Dr Sreedhara Panicker Somanath (Dr S. Somanath) emphasized that the Indo-US collaboration will strengthen the Gaganyaan project by incorporating advanced training and insights from the ISS.