Who is Shubhanshu Shukla? THE SECOND INDIAN TO GO TO SPACE AFTER RAKESH SHARMA.
Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, born in Lucknow (Oct 1985), with over 2,000 flight hours on platforms like Su‑30MKI, MiG‑29, Jaguar, Hawk, An‑32, and Dornier 228
Selected in 2019 for ISRO’s astronaut cadre and also one of the four chosen for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan mission
Completed cosmonaut training in Russia and further at Bengaluru’s Astronaut Training Facility.
🚀 Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) Overview- https://www.axiomspace.com/missions/ax4
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Mission Type | Private spaceflight to the ISS, jointly run by Axiom Space, SpaceX, NASA |
| Crew | Commander: Peggy Whitson (ex‑NASA) • Pilot: Shubhanshu Shukla (India) • Mission Specialists: Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary) |
| Launch Date & Vehicle | Lift-off at 2:31 a.m. EDT (12:01 p.m. IST) on June 25, 2025, from LC‑39A aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 & Dragon “Grace” |
| Docking & Duration | Dock expected June 26 (4:30 p.m. IST); mission lasting ~14 days |
🔬 Scientific and Outreach Goals
- The mission will carry ~60 experiments from 31 countries
- Shukla’s Indian experiments include:
- Growing fenugreek (methi) and moong daal in microgravity to advance space agriculture
- Studying tardigrades, microbial behaviour, muscle degradation, screen-time cognitive effects, and educational “STEMonstrations”
🌍 Global Significance
- Axiom Mission 4 is the first ISS mission for government-sponsored astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary in over 40 years.
- Demonstrates expanding commercial-private collaboration in LEO, helping pave pathways toward Axiom’s planned private space station by 2030
🗣️ Reactions & Significance
- President Droupadi Murmu praised Shukla: “Shubhanshu Shukla creates a new milestone… the whole nation is excited and proud… ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.”
- Prime Minister Modi called it a triumph of aspirations of “1.4 billion Indians”