Shubhanshu Shukla

Last updated

Shubhanshu Shukla
AC
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.jpg
Shukla in 2024
Born (1985-10-10) 10 October 1985 (age 40)
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Alma mater
Occupations
Awards Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg Ashoka Chakra
Space career
ISRO Astronaut
Time in space
20 days, 2 hours, and 59 minutes
Selection 1st Gaganyatri Group (2019)
Missions Axiom Mission 4
Military career
NicknamesShux, [1] Gunjan [2]
AllegianceIndia
BranchAir Force Ensign of India.svg  Indian Air Force
Service years2006–present [3]
Rank Group captain
Service number 29014

Shubhanshu Shukla AC is a group captain in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and gaganyatri (astronaut) with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Commissioned into the IAF in June 2006, he piloted a range of fighter aircraft, and served as a test pilot later. In 2019, he was one of the four men identified to be trained for the Gaganyaan mission of the ISRO, the Indian human spaceflight programme. In July 2025, he became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as a part of the Axiom Mission 4 , a privately organised spaceflight. He is the second Indian to travel to outer space, after Rakesh Sharma in 1984. In 2026, he was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, the highest peacetime Indian military decoration.

Contents

Early and personal life

Shubhanshu Shukla was born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow. He is the youngest of the three children of government official Shambhu Dayal Shukla and Asha. [4] He completed his schooling at City Montessori School in Lucknow. Motivated by the Kargil War in 1999, he appeared for and cleared the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination. [5] He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. [6]

Shukla is married to dentist Kamna Mishra, who was his classmate at school, and the couple have a son. [7]

Defence career

After passing out of the National Defence Academy in 2005, he subsequently enrolled at the Indian Air Force Academy. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a flying officer in June 2006. [8] [9] He was promoted to wing commander in June 2019. [10] He is a qualified test pilot with over 2,000 hours of flying experience on a wide variety of aircraft, including the BAE Hawk, Dornier 228, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Mikoyan MiG-29, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Sukhoi Su-30MKI. [8] [11] He was promoted to the rank of group captain with the IAF in 2024. [10]

Astronaut career

Shukla (left), with Indian astronauts, at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Gaganyaan crew at Russia.jpg
Shukla (left), with Indian astronauts, at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

In 2019, Shukla was shortlisted by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine for the Gaganyaan programme of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was among four candidates selected for training as a part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. [12] [13]

Shukla trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia from 2020 to 2021. [14] He later underwent mission-specific training at ISRO's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru and completed a Master of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science. [12] On 27 February 2024, ISRO officially introduced Shukla as a member of the astronaut team for Gaganyaan-4 , India's planned first human spaceflight mission. [12] [15]

Axiom Mission 4

Shukla (front row, third from left) at the International Space Station Axiom Mission 4 and Expedition 73 crews (cropped).jpg
Shukla (front row, third from left) at the International Space Station

On 2 August 2024, ISRO announced that Shukla would be part of the Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station (ISS). He and fellow astronaut Prasanth Nair trained at the NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, for the mission. [16] [17] The mission was a collaboration between ISRO, NASA, and SpaceX. [18] Shukla was designated as the mission pilot. [19] [20] The mission was led by veteran Peggy Whitson, alongside mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu. [21]

The mission successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 25 June 2025 at 06:31 UTC. [22] It docked with the ISS on 26 June 2025 at 10:31 UTC, and Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, and the second Indian to travel to outer space, after Rakesh Sharma in 1984. [23] [24] The crew entered the ISS at 12:14 UTC, and at 14:00 UTC, a formal welcome ceremony for the visiting crew took place, during which Whitson gave Shukla an astronaut pin, designating him as the 634th person to reach space. [25] [26]

"Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in the space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride. We are revolving around the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometres per second. The Tiranga embossed on my shoulders tells me that I am with all of you. This journey of mine is not a beginning to the International Space Station but to India's Human Space Programme. I want all of you to be part of this journey. Your chest, too, should swell with pride... Together, let's initiate India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!"

— Shukla's first message from outer space addressing the nation [27]
Shukla at the International Space Station Shubhanshu Shukla at ISS.png
Shukla at the International Space Station

Indian president Droupadi Murmu, prime minister Narendra Modi and the IAF congratulated Shukla. [28] While onboard the ISS, Shukla participated in public outreach, including a live videoconference with the prime minister on 28 June [29] and ham radio conversations with school students on 4 July, [30] and 8 July. [31] [32] On 6 July, he participated in a conversation with V. Narayanan, the chairman of ISRO and other officials on the experiments and activities with regards to the India's Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. [33]

Shukla's mission was a commercially arranged effort where he spent two weeks on the ISS, conducting around 60 experiments, with at least seven designated by ISRO. [34] Estimates suggest that the Indian government spent approximately ₹5.48 billion (US$65 million) for Shukla's seat on the mission. [35] [36] ISRO officials have defended the cost, citing the benefits of the training and international collaboration. [37] [38]

Awards

Shukla was decorated with the Ashoka Chakra, the highest peacetime Indian military decoration, in the 2026 Republic Day honours and decorations list. [39] [40]

References

  1. ↑ "India's 'Shux' heads to space". The Economic Times . 8 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla Sneaked Out Of Sister's Wedding For NDA Exam, Hid Gaganyaan Application From Family". Times Now . 10 June 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Service Record for Wing Commander Shubanshu Shukla". Bharat Rakshak . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Aiming For The Sky: When Shubhanshu Shukla Ran Away From Sister's 'Vidaai'". NDTV . Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla's journey from NDA to outer space". India Today . 27 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Bajpai, Namita (4 June 2025). "Joy and pride laced with anxiety grip Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's family ahead of his space sojourn". The New Indian Express . Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "From classroom to cosmos: Shubhanshu Shukla's wife looks back & ahead". The Times of India . 9 June 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Biography of Shubhanshu Shukla". Axiom Space . Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  9. ↑ "My journey to space will be the journey of 1.4 billion fellow Indians: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla". The Hindu . 18 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Shubhanshu Shukla". Britannica . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ↑ Vasudevan, Mukunth (3 March 2024). "Gaganyaan astronauts:The chosen four". thehindu.com. The Hindu . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 Kumar, Chethan. "Nair, Prathap, Krishnan and Chauhan listed for Gaganyaan mission". The Times of India . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  13. ↑ Pandey, Geeta (27 February 2024). "Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight". BBC News . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "ISRO's astronaut trainees return after completing training in Russia". The Hindustan Times . 14 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Kerala celebrates as local son Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair gears up for Gaganyaan space mission". The Telegraph . 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  16. ↑ "Indian astronauts to start training for ISS mission". SpaceNews . 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  17. ↑ Foust, Jeff (5 August 2024). "Hungary and Poland to join India on Ax-4". SpaceNews . Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "Axiom Space's next astronaut mission to the ISS with SpaceX delayed to spring 2025". Space.com . 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  19. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla: India celebrates sending its first astronaut into space after 41 years". BBC News . 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Indian Astronaut Will Pilot Mission To International Space Station: Axiom Space". NDTV . Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  21. ↑ Fortin, Jacey; K.B, Pragati (25 June 2025). "Four Astronauts Lift Off on Axiom Mission to the I.S.S." The New York Times . Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  22. ↑ Dunn, Marcia (25 June 2025). "Astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary blast off on a privately funded trip to the space station". The Washington Post . Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  23. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla breaks mentor Rakesh Sharma's 41-year-old space record". India Today . 3 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  24. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla: Astronaut to become first Indian to set foot on ISS". BBC News . 26 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  25. ↑ "Axiom-4 mission: Shubhanshu Shukla became 634th astronaut to reach space". The Hindu . 26 June 2025. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  26. ↑ "Axiom-4 mission: Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow 'Earthlings' enter space station with Grace". The Times of India . 27 June 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  27. ↑ ""Orbiting The Earth. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat": Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Message". NDTV . 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  28. ↑ Trivedi, Saurabh (25 June 2025). "President, PM extend best wishes for Shubhanshu Shukla's space odyssey". The Hindu . ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  29. ↑ "PM interacts with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla aboard the International Space Station". Prime Minister of India . 28 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  30. ↑ "Shukla to interact with school students". Press Trust of India . 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "'Many of you will be future astronauts': Shubhanshu Shukla speaks to students from ISS; shares insights on life in space". The Times of India . 8 July 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  32. ↑ "'I'll Guide You All': Shubhanshu Shukla Inspires Students From ISS, Talks About Life In Space". News18 . 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  33. ↑ "In a call to ISRO chief, Shubhanshu Shukla acknowledges his efforts in ensuring his safe travel to ISS". The Indian Express . 7 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  34. ↑ "Know-Your-Spacemen: Is Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 Different from Rakesh Sharma's in 1984?". The Wire . 8 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  35. ↑ "India has spent Rs 413 crore on sending astronaut to ISS; Rs 135 crore more to go this year". The Economic Times . 29 March 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  36. ↑ "Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission has a whopping price tag". India Today . 9 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  37. ↑ "Shubhanshu Shukla: The ISRO pilot taking India back to space after 41 years". BBC News . 3 June 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  38. ↑ "Shukla In space: Benefits far outweigh cost, says Isro chief". The Times of India . 2 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  39. ↑ "77th Republic Day: President approves Gallantry awards to 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous, also clears military decorations to 301 personnel". Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Press release). 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  40. ↑ "Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla awarded Ashoka Chakra for daring space mission". India Today . 25 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
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