Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force will blast off into orbit next week as part of Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission, becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS).
His journey is set to mark a critical milestone not only for India’s presence in global space cooperation, but also for its long-awaited Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
Launching aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 10, The Indian Air Force pilot will join three other astronauts for a two-week mission that combines scientific research, international collaboration, and operational training.
India sees the mission as a key proving wings for its ambitions to send humans into space on indigenous spacecraft by 2027.
Why is Gp Capt Shukla’s mission significant for India’s Gaganyaan mission?
Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla’s flight will make him the first Indian astronaut aboard the ISS, and only the second Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma’s Soviet-assisted mission in 1984.
Unlike Sharma’s largely symbolic mission, Gp Capt Shukla’s Ax-4 journey is being framed by India’s Department of Space as operationally strategic.
With his 14-day stay aboard the ISS, Gp Capt Shukla will gain real-time experience in microgravity, orbital operations, and international mission coordination, all of which are essential to India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for launch in 2027. Officials have described the mission as a “defining chapter” that signals India’s move into an era of serious human spaceflight, according to media reports.
How does Shukla’s mission tie into India’s Gaganyaan plans?
Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla is already regarded as one of the top contenders to crew India’s first indigenous human spaceflight mission. His Ax-4 mission will provide Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with critical operational data and training insights to help refine its astronaut selection, onboard systems, and space health protocols for Gaganyaan.
Before this international mission, Shukla was trained at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in 2020, alongside three other Indian Air Force officers. He later underwent additional preparation at ISRO’s astronaut training centre in Bengaluru.
His Ax-4 experience will help bridge the gap between simulator-based preparation and real orbital demands, offering feedback that ISRO could incorporate into uncrewed Gaganyaan test flights expected later this year.
Who is Gp Capt Shukla and what will the Ax-4 mission involve?
A 39-year-old fighter pilot from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla has flown frontline Russian-origin jets like the MiG and Sukhoi for the Indian Air Force. He will serve as pilot on the Ax-4 mission, flying alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut; Polish ESA astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski; and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu.
The Ax-4 mission is organised by Axiom Space in coordination with NASA, SpaceX, and international space agencies. If for any reason Shukla is unable to fly, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, another Indian Air Force pilot, is expected to take his place.