Axiom mission 4: NASA and its international partners have confirmed the crew for the International Space Station (ISS) for the fourth private astronaut mission (X-4) of the Acome Space. With this mission to be launched from Florida this year, Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first astronaut of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) going to the space station.
The X-4 mission will be led by NASA’s former astronaut and Human Space Flight Director Paigi Whitson at the Ex-Space. Shukla will play the role of Pilot, while two mission experts are Slavos Uznansky-Vyshievski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Shukla’s vision
Shubhanshu Shukla expressed the importance and happiness of this mission for India and said that – our effort is to fulfill this mission with extreme professionalism. I also expect to awaken the curiosity of an entire generation of my country through my mission and pursue such innovation that will make many such missions possible in future.
Shubhanshu of Lucknow
Born in Lucknow (Lucknow), Uttar Pradesh on 10 October 1985, Shukla studied at the National Defense Academy (NDA), Pune. Shukla is married to Dr. Kamna, a dentist by profession and the couple has a four -year -old son. His father Shambhu Dayal Shukla is a retired government official, while his mother Asha Shukla is a housewife. They are the youngest of three siblings; Her elder sister Nidhi has an MBA degree and her second elder sister Suchi works as a school teacher. In his empty time, Shukla prefers to do physical exercise, read books on science and space.
Shubhanshu joined the fighter wing of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in June 2006 and was promoted to the post of Group Captain in March 2024. With more than 2,000 hours of flight experience, Shukla has flew various aircraft including SU-30 MKI, MIG-21, MIG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and AN-32. In 2019, ISRO chose him for astronaut training. He then trained at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonot Training Center in Star City, Moscow. In February 2024, he was selected as the main internet for ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission, which is India’s first human spacecraft program, planned for 2026.
The X-4 crew will travel on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and stay on the ISS for 14 days. During their time in space, they will conduct scientific research, outreach programs and commercial activities. This mission is a joint effort between NASA and ISRO and this will be the first time that astronauts from Poland and Hungary will stay in ISS.
