Who is astronaut-designate Shubhanshu Shukla? Lucknow boy to fly to International Space Station in May – His IAF career, details

Four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 flight aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft, another Indian astronaut is going to fly to the International Space Station (ISS). Minister of state for space Dr Jitendra Singh has described the mission as a defining moment for India’s space journey. So, who is Shubhanshu Shukla?

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Authored by: ET Now Digital

Updated Apr 18, 2025 20:18 IST

Shubhanshu Shukla

Shubhanshu Shukla: Lucknow boy to travel to space (Axiom Space/iStock)

Four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 flight aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft, another Indian astronaut is going to fly to the International Space Station (ISS). Shubhanshu Shukla , an Indian Air Force Group Captain will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2025.
Minister of state for space Dr Jitendra Singh has described the mission as a defining moment for India’s space journey. Moreover, Shukla’s role also aligns with India’s larger ambitions under the Gaganyaan programme, the country’s first human spaceflight mission.
ISS had confirmed his selection for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) - a NASA-approved private spaceflight organised by Axiom Space .
Now, Shukla will be the second Indian to travel to space.So, who is Shubhanshu Shukla? What is his journey?
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Who is Shubhanshu Shukla astronaut?

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, India, Shukla was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot in June 2006.
He attained the rank of Group Captain in March 2024.Shukla has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours across multiple aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. He completed his astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia in 2019.
He was selected by ISRO for the Gaganyaan mission - India’s first indigenous crewed orbital flight, and became the first ISRO astronaut to visit the ISS under a NASA-Axiom Space partnership.
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Shukla’s mission is unique as this time the focus is on operational readiness and global integration. Department of Space highlighted that Shukla’s participation underscores India’s growing engagement with public-private international partnerships in space and its aim to emerge as a serious contender in human space exploration.
Shukla will serve as pilot on the Ax-4 mission alongside former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Other mission members include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The team will launch from Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and spend up to 14 days on the ISS conducting scientific research and outreach.

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