The Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as a pilot for NASA’s Acom Mission 4 (X-4). NASA announced this on Thursday. The Shukla will be the first Indian astronaut to travel to the international space station on a private mission. The US Space Agency will launch the mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida via SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in the spring of 2025. This mission will be 14 days. The crew will conduct scientific experiments, outreach programs and other activities in microgravity as part of a collaborative mission between NASA and ISRO.
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?
- Shubhanshu Shukla was born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He is an Indian astronaut and candidate for the historic Gaganyaan Mission of India. Under this mission, the country’s first astronauts will be taken into space.
- Shukla obtained a graduation from the National Defense Academy in 2005 and in June 2006 at the Indian Air Force.
- Shukla is an experienced pilot and has an experience of flying aircraft for more than 2000 hours. He has so far blown several aircraft including AN-32, Jaguar, Hawk, MiG-21, MiG-29 and SU-30 MKI.
- In June 2019, he received promotion as Wing Commander and was selected for the IAF’s astronaut program through the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) in the same year.
- Shubhanshu Shukla went to Russia in 2021 to complete his basic training at Gagarin Cosmonot Training Center. Even after the return, he continued his training in the astronaut training facility located in Bangalore. In 2024, he was promoted as a group captain in IAF.
- In August 2024, ISRO declared him a pilot for the Private Mission Axiaom Mission 4 for the International Space Station prescribed for Vasant 2025. Shubhanshu Shukla will be the second Indian who will go to space after four decades of Rakesh Sharma’s space.
- Shukla is the youngest of three siblings and is the first person of his family to join the Armed Forces. He is married to Shubha Shukla, who is a dentist.