US space agency NASA will launch India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), according to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday. ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) has finalised a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with the US-based Axiom Space for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS.
This mission will feature two Indian pilots: Group Captain Shukla as the primary mission pilot and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair as the backup pilot.
Training for both officers, known as ‘Gaganyaatri,’ will commence in the first week of August. During their time on the ISS, they will conduct selected scientific research, technology demonstration experiments and participate in space outreach activities.
The Axiom-4 mission crew will also include Peggy Whitson from the US (Commander), SÅ‚awosz Uznanski from Poland (Mission Specialist) and Tibor Kapu from Hungary (Mission Specialist).
Last year, four test pilots from the Air Force were chosen, with primary training beginning at ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru for the Gaganyaan mission. This ambitious mission aims to showcase India’s human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, culminating in a safe return to Earth in Indian waters.
Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla?
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, hailing from Lucknow, embarked on his career in the Indian Air Force nearly 18 years ago after rigorous training at the National Defence Academy. Inspired by the valour and sacrifices of Indian soldiers during the Kargil War of 1999, Shukla was motivated to join the armed forces. He was just 14 when the conflict began, as Pakistani forces intruded into Indian territory.