The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that NASA would send Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Air Force to the International Space Station. This partnership is part of a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) signed by ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) and Axiom Space for the future Axiom-4 mission.
Group Captain Shukla will be the primary mission pilot, with Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair serving as the backup. Both officers, known as “Gaganyaatris,” will begin training in August. During the voyage, they will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations on the ISS, as well as participate in outreach initiatives.
The Axiom-4 crew includes US Commander Peggy Whitson, Indian Pilot Shukla, Polish Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznanski, and Hungarian Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu.
The Gaganyaan mission, an ambitious project by ISRO, aims to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capacity by launching a three-person crew into a 400 km orbit for a three-day trip.
Shukla, who was born in Lucknow, started his Air Force career at the National Defence Academy 18 years ago, motivated by Indian soldiers’ valour during the Kargil War in 1999.
