Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will pilot the Ax-4 mission that will be launched on Wednesday, said that it would be a huge success for him even if his story can change one life.
Shukla hopes that his historic Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) will inspire an entire generation of young people, just like the first Indian to go into space, Rakesh Sharma, did back in the day.
"It has been an amazing journey. These are moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself. I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this. It is my sincere endeavour through my mission to inspire an entire generation back home in the country. I want to use this opportunity to ignite curiosity among kids. Even if this story, my story, is able to change one life, it would be a huge success for me," said Group Captain Shukla in a YouTube video posted by the Ax-4 mission.
Shukla is excited as he prepares to pilot the mission, leaving an indelible mark on India's remarkable advancements in human space exploration.
{{/usCountry}}Shukla is excited as he prepares to pilot the mission, leaving an indelible mark on India's remarkable advancements in human space exploration.
{{/usCountry}}"The way this worked out for me was that probably a week before we arrived at Axiom was the time I came to know that I would be going. I was extremely excited to be here. I was very, very happy, because this was a possibility for me to actually fly to space. You do not know how to respond to such things," Group Captain Shukla said.
Peggy Whitson, Mission Commander Ax-4 said Shukla has great operational capabilities.
"For me, having him as my pilot in the Dragon capsule is great. He already has that operational savvy, you know, he is just wicked smart when it comes to spacecraft technologies," she said.
Group Captain Shukla will pilot a team that includes Whitson and Mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Ax-4 is expected to take flight from the Kennedy Centre in the US state of Florida on Wednesday.
Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla?
Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is one of the four astronauts picked for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission.
Shukla was commissioned into the IAF fighter wing in June 2006. As a combat leader and seasoned test pilot, he boasts an impressive 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
In 2019, he embarked on rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Moscow, Russia--a year-long preparation that would shape his destiny. On February 27, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled Shukla as one of the elite astronauts undergoing intensive training for India's maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, scheduled for launch in 2025.