Shubhanshu Shukla, who goes by the nickname "Shuks", will become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and make history. The 41-year-old Indian Air Force officer will be the pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a historic private spaceflight mission in cooperation with NASA, SpaceX, Axiom Space, and ISRO. The flight is to take place at 8:22 AM ET (5:52 PM IST) on Monday, June 10, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There is a backup launch window on June 11.

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is a commercial crew mission to the ISS that will take astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland, and the US on a 14-day mission. The mission will be led by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Shukla acting as the mission pilot. Tibor Kapu, a Hungarian astronaut, and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a Polish astronaut, will be the mission specialists. The Ax-4 mission is significant for India, as it marks the country’s return to human spaceflight after four decades since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s Soviet-backed Soyuz mission in 1984. Unlike previous astronauts of Indian origin, such as Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, who held US citizenship, Shukla becomes the second Indian citizen to go to space.

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Shukla's space odyssey started in 2019 when he was chosen by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) to be part of India's Human Spaceflight Programme. He spent time on basic training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center before advancing his astronaut training at ISRO's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named Shukla as one of the four astronaut-designates to ride India's Gaganyaan mission, planned for launch in 2026. But the Ax-4 mission accelerated his ascension into orbit.

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International Training Before ISS Mission

In preparation for Ax-4, Shukla worked with several space agencies, including NASA, Germany's European Space Agency (ESA), and Japan's Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He performed emergency simulations and research protocols within the Columbus module and the Kibo laboratory, mastering how to handle complex systems on the ISS. Earlier this week, the Ax-4 crew did their last dress rehearsal and static fire test with SpaceX. All systems have been cleared since then for launching. The Ax4 crew went on extensive emergency training, featuring a range of scenarios such as underwater escape drills. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket, will transport the four astronauts to low-Earth orbit. The capsule will dock with the ISS on Wednesday, June 11, at 10 PM IST (12:30 PM EDT) after a 28-hour flight. While on board, the astronauts will take part in more than 60 science and research experiments dealing with human physiology, observation of the Earth, materials science, and in-space production. The experiments involve partnerships with institutions from 31 nations, making Ax-4 the most representative globally among commercial spaceflight missions.

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Shukla's space flight has created renewed interest in India's space aspirations. Social media is filled with pride and excitement messages as India returns to prominence in human spaceflight in the world. "Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission is a reflection of India's increasing capabilities in space technology. It is a moment of pride not only for our space community but for all Indians," said an ISRO senior official to ANI. Rakesh Sharma, who took flight on Soyuz T-11 in 1984, was the only Indian until now to have been to space. Shukla now takes the same path, but with a difference; he will be the first Indian to board the ISS, along with astronauts from all over the world in an unprecedented international partnership. With the countdown on for the June 10 launch, Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral is where all eyes are on as India's new space hero, "Shuks," gears up to take the tricolour to new altitudes.