- First ISRO astronaut on ISS in Ax-4 mission, 2025.
- Experienced IAF pilot with 2,000+ flight hours.
- Global crew with astronauts from U.S., Poland, Hungary.
NASA and its international partners have confirmed the crew for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is set to launch in spring 2025 from Florida, USA.
One of the key highlights of this mission is that Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to visit the ISS.
The Ax-4 mission will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space. Shubhanshu Shukla will be the pilot. The two mission specialists are Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
The astronauts will travel aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and will stay at the ISS for up to 14 days. They will conduct scientific research, outreach programs, and commercial activities.
Shukla was born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He studied at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune and joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter wing in 2006. He has over 2,000 hours of flight experience on aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
He was selected for astronaut training by ISRO in 2019 and trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow. In February 2024, he was also chosen as the prime astronaut for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, set for 2026.
NASA and ISRO’s collaboration on private space missions will help develop a commercial space economy in low Earth orbit. This will allow NASA to focus on deep-space missions to the Moon and Mars while private companies expand their role in space exploration.
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