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Who is Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian astronaut going to space today
Shubhanshu Shukla, one of the four member crew of Axiom-4 is skilled combat leader and pilot with 2,000 hours of flight experience in various aircrafts.
After multiple delays, Axiom 4 carrying Shubhanshu Shukla along with three other crew members is set to launch today. The mission will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in the famous SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. With this mission Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla
Shubhanshu Shukla is a serving IAF officer and a part of Indian Space Research Organisation’s historic Gaganyaan mission, India's first crewed spaceflight mission.
Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shukla is fluent in both English and Hindi. In 2005, he completed his military training and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the National Defense Academy. His journey with flying began back in 2006 when he was commissioned into the IAF fighter wing. Follow for Axiom 4 mission live updates.
As a combat leader and seasoned pilot, Shubhanshu Shukla is skilled with various aircrafts with 2,000 hours of flight experience including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk and more. His ascent to the rank of group captain in March 2024 reflects his exceptional contributions.
Also read: Axiom space mission launch today: When and where to watch
In 2019 after receiving a momentous call from ISRO, Shukla was inducted in the astronaut selection process by Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) and was one of the four selected astronauts. In 2020, he embarked on rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia for a year-long preparation that would shape his destiny.
Part of India's Gaganyaan mission
In February last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced Shubhanshu Shukla as one of the elite astronauts undergoing intensive training for India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. With the Axiom Mission he will mark a significant milestone in India’s advancements in human space exploration.
Earlier, describing Shubhanshu Shukla, his colleagues lauded his mental capabilities including the way he processes knowledge. Mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson called Shubhanshu Shukla's 'technical knowledge' an exceptional asset.
The Axiom 4 mission set to launch today will include around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia and nations across Europe.
