Shubhanshu Shukla: 1st Indian astronaut to fly to ISS

 

 

INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut and Indian Air Force (IAF) officer,ShubhanshuShukla,willtake on the role of pilot on the Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, that will go totheInternationalSpaceStation (ISS)fromNASA’sKennedySpace Centerin Florida no earlierthan Spring2025,theUSspaceagency said on Thursday. Shuklawillmakehistoryasthe firstIndian astronautto visitthe orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. A serving officer in the IAF, he has also been chosen as an astronaut for India’s Gaganyaan Mission. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronautandDirectorofhuman spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO astronaut Shukla will serve as pilot, said NASA. The two mission specialists areEuropean Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

 

“I amexcitedtosee continued interest and dedication for the private astronaut missions aboard the International Space Station,”saidDanaWeigel,manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “As NASA looks toward the future of low Earth orbit, private astronautmissionshelppavethe way and expand access to the unique microgravity environment,” saidtheUSspaceagency. Thefirstprivateastronautmissiontothestation,AxiomMission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17- day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.

 

The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May2023withfourprivateastronauts who spent eight days in orbit. Themostrecentprivateastronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; thecrewspent18daysdockedtothespace station. “Workingwiththetalentedanddiverse Ax-4 crew has been adeeply rewarding experience,”said Whitson. “Witnessingtheirselflessdedication and commitment toexpanding horizons and creating opportunities for theirnations in space exploration istruly remarkable. Each crewmemberbringsuniquestrengthsand perspectives, making ourmission not just a scientificendeavour, but a testament tohuman ingenuity and teamwork,” Whitson added.