Soon, indian Air Force (IAF) group captain Shubhanshu Shukla will make history by being the first indian astronaut to fly from the space station in florida to the ISS on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
 
As part of a collaboration between nasa and the indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Shubhanshu Shukla has been assigned as the pilot of the Axiom Mission 4 to the ISS. "No earlier than spring 2025" is when the voyage will launch, according to a thursday announcement from the US space agency.

Shubhanshu Shukla, the captain of the IAF Group, stated on thursday that he is excited to share his experience with "Bharatvaasis." He also mentioned that he intends to bring national symbols on his trip and hopes to do some yoga postures in the orbiting laboratory.
 
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla
According to the Axiom Mission 4 website, group captain Shubhanshu Shukla was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on october 10, 1985, and is a famous IAF pilot.
 
In june 2006, Shubhanshu Shukla received his commission in the IAF jet wing. According to the Axiom website, Shubhanshu Shukla is a combat leader and seasoned test pilot with 2,000 hours of flight experience in a variety of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
 
In march 2024, Shubhanshu Shukla was elevated to the position of group captain. Shubhanshu Shukla is also the astronaut-designate for the Gaganyaan mission, India's maiden human space journey.
 
According to the Axiom website, Shubhanshu Shukla "received a momentous call from ISRO" in 2019 and then starting "rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia-a year-long preparation that would shape his destiny."
 
As part of the Soviet Interkosmos program, Rakesh Sharma became the first indian to fly to space in 1984 on the Soyuz T-11 mission, which was then operated by the USSR.
 
What is Axiom Mission 4
In addition to India, poland and hungary will "realize the return" to human spaceflight with the Axiom Mission 4 or Ax-4 mission, which will be their first government-sponsored voyage in nearly 40 years.
 
Ax-4 will be the first time all three countries have conducted a mission aboard the ISS, even though it is these countries' second human spaceflight mission in history.
 
"This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally," according to the website. 

According to the US space agency, Shukla will be the mission pilot while Peggy Whitson, a former nasa astronaut and director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space, will lead the commercial mission. The two mission experts are Tibor Kapu of hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of poland, both project astronauts for the european Space Agency.
 
According to nasa, the astronauts will execute a mission that includes outreach, scientific, and commercial operations during their 14-day stay in orbit.
 
 
 

 
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G GOWTHAM

31/01/2025 11:36 AM