MEET Shubhanshu Shukla: Man Who Is Set To Create History By Becoming India’s Second Astronaut In Space After Rakesh Sharma

Indian Air Force officer Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to become the second Indian to travel to space, four decades after Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight in 1984. If everything goes as planned, Shukla will head to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 29, 2025, for a 14-day stay, according to NASA.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the pilot for the Ax-4 mission, flying with a team that includes ex-NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. The mission, managed by Axiom Space, is the company's fourth private astronaut mission and will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

India earned its spot on the Ax-4 mission through a collaboration between NASA and Axiom Space. The Houston-based firm specialises in organising private space missions. This partnership could open doors for future joint space missions between ISRO and NASA.

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shukla studied at City Montessori School before joining the National Defence Academy (NDA), which trains cadets for India’s armed forces.

Shukla joined the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in June 2006. Over the years, he has logged more than 2,000 flying hours on several aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Dornier. In March 2024, he was promoted to Group Captain.

In 2019, Shukla was selected by ISRO to begin astronaut training. He trained at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City. On February 27, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced him as one of the astronauts preparing for India's Gaganyaan mission, planned for 2025.

During the two-week mission aboard the ISS, the crew will carry out scientific research and tech demonstrations. This journey will not only mark a milestone for India’s space program but also help prepare for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.