We take a close look at this historic event, what it means for India, and the man behind the mission.
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?
Born and brought up in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 2006. In March 2024, he was raised to the rank of Group Captain.
In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named Shukla as one of the four astronaut-designates for India’s inaugural human spaceflight mission, Gaganyan, planned for launch in early 2027. He underwent training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia in 2021 after his selection for the human spaceflight programme by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM).
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, Shukla has to his credit over 2,000 hours of flight experience. As a combat leader and seasoned test pilot, he has piloted various aircraft, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier 228, and An-32.
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About Axiom-4 missionThe Axiom-4 mission is a collaborative effort between Axiom Space and NASA. This fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS aims to conduct scientific experiments and observations. The 14-day mission, which will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, has onboarded the first Indian astronaut, Shubhanshu Shukla, as part of the Ax-4 crew. Shukla will be joined by Peggy Whitson, Commander, of the US; Tibor Kapu, Mission Specialist, of Hungary; and Slawosz Uznanski, Mission Specialist, of Poland. The Ax-4 crew will fly aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Beyond the record books
The Ax-4 mission brings together the aspiration for human spaceflight projects for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. It is also the first time all three nations will execute a mission aboard the ISS.
The mission defines a research pathway to low-earth orbit and elevates national space programmes globally. The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe.
Currently, the Axiom-4 mission is scheduled for launch on June 11 at 5:30 PM IST. It was earlier slated for launch on June 10 at 5:52 IST. The delay was caused due to “unfavourable weather,” as announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday.
According to the official updates, the live webcast of the Ax-4 mission will commence two hours prior to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docking with the ISS. The space mission underscores earth observation, biological and material sciences, further advancing the space research capabilities of the countries involved in the initiative.
