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IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla Becomes First Indian in 40 Years to Fly to ISS Aboard SpaceX Dragon
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has created history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) in over four decades. Shukla is currently driving the SpaceX Dragon spaceship as the highly anticipated Axiom 4 mission successfully launched on Wednesday, June 25 at 12:01 PM, following several delays.
India has returned strongly to crewed space missions with this landmark journey, the first since the pioneering 1984 flight of celebrated astronaut Rakesh Sharma. Sharma was India’s inaugural space traveler, as he resided for eight days aboard the Soviet Union’s Salyut-7 space station.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is flying with mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, and mission specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland. In addition to India, the Axiom 4 mission marks Poland’s and Hungary’s comeback to space exploration.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s Thoughts Before Liftoff
“It has been an amazing journey,” Shukla said in a YouTube video that the Axiom 4 mission shared. These kinds of situations serve as a reminder that you are a part of something far greater than yourself. I consider myself very lucky to be involved in this project. I sincerely aspire to motivate a whole generation in my native India. It would be a huge achievement if my narrative could spark interest and transform even one person.
He continued, remembering the excitement of finding out he was be going to space: “About a week before arriving at Axiom, I learnt I would be flying.” I was very happy and elated since it’s hard to put into words how it feels to be given this opportunity.
About Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla
Shubhanshu Shukla joined the Indian Air Force fighter wing in June 2006, having been born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, 1985. He possesses more than 2,000 hours of flight experience on different aircraft, such as the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. He is an experienced test pilot and battle leader.
Shukla is among the limited astronauts chosen for ISRO’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which seeks to enhance India’s capabilities in space exploration
