NASA Mission: Indian Air Force Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla to Become First Indian Astronaut on ISS

Announcement Date

NASA announced during a press conference on Thursday that Shubhanshu has been selected for this mission. All four astronauts going on the mission were also present at the conference.

Axiom-4 Mission Pilot & Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla talking about what items he will be carrying to space to represent India! 🇮🇳

ISRO had consulted a university and asked its students from various different regions of India to come up with ideas for items representing all the… pic.twitter.com/dJzBwur17c

— Debapratim (@debapratim_) January 30, 2025

Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?

39-year-old Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who has flown fighter aircraft such as Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32, was born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. He received his commission in the fighter wing of the Indian Air Force in 2006. He was promoted to the rank of Group Captain in March 2024. Shukla is an experienced test pilot with over 2,000 flight hours. Shubhanshu Shukla has also been selected as an astronaut for India’s ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan.

Shubhanshu Shukla Discusses the Mission

In the press conference, pilot Shubhanshu mentioned that he would be taking some Indian food with him and would share it with his colleagues. He said, ‘I am very excited to go into microgravity and experience space flight on my own.’ I think we are at a stage where all things are materialising.

ESA Project Astronauts to Participate

The mission will also include Poland’s Project Astronaut, Wojciech Zbigniew Wiszniweski , and Tibor Káposzta from Hungary, as mission specialists from the ESA (European Space Agency). Dana Weigel, International Space Station Program Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, expressed her excitement about this private astronaut mission.

Yoga in Space

Group Captain Shukla will also be practising yoga during his space journey. He stated that when we are on the ground, we need to practice so that we have a healthy body with a healthy mind and we can complete this mission with our full spirit. It is noteworthy that India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, also performed yoga in space. Shukla said that he is very excited about this mission.