Who is Shubhanshu Shukla, the IAF officer heading to the ISS on Axiom-4 mission?

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to make history as first Indian in over 40 years to travel to space.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force is set to be the first Indian in over four decades to travel to space and board the International Space Station (ISS), with liftoff scheduled for June 11 as part of Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission. The flight, launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, marks a significant milestone in India’s growing human spaceflight ambitions.

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The launch, originally scheduled for June 10 but delayed due to weather conditions, is now set for 5:30 p.m. IST on June 11 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shukla will serve as the mission pilot, joining Commander Peggy Whitson (U.S.), Sławosz Uznański (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) for a two-week mission focused on scientific research and international collaboration.

This mission is part of a privately funded commercial effort, with India reportedly investing over $60 million to facilitate Shukla’s flight to the ISS. ISRO is spending ₹550 crore on the Axiom-4 mission.

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shubhanshu Shukla completed his schooling from City Montessori School before joining the National Defence Academy. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006, he has accumulated over 2,000 hours of flying time on a wide range of aircraft including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Dornier-228. He holds an M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Mr. Shukla was one of four officers selected in 2019 for ISRO’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. He underwent extensive training at Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre and ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. Earlier this year, he was announced as part of the Axiom-4 crew, in what is seen as a crucial step ahead of India’s crewed space missions under Gaganyaan. Shukla, who goes by the nickname “Shux”, will be the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984 onboard the erstwhile Soviet Union’s Soyuz spacecraft for an eight-day stay in orbit.

 Earlier this week, the crew addressed a press conference to give an update on the training ahead of the launch. “This is not just my journey; this is the journey of 1.4 billion Indians. Even if this story can change one life or inspire one young person, it will be a success,” Mr. Shukla said.