The Axiom-4 mission, with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on board, is set to launch on Wednesday, June 25, at 12:01 PM (IST). The launch, which was delayed several times, has received the green light with favorable weather conditions according to SpaceX. This mission is particularly significant for India because of Group Captain Shukla, who will pilot the Ax-4 mission. He is one of the four astronauts chosen for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission.
Shukla, born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, 1985, and commissioned into the IAF fighter wing in June 2006, is enthusiastic about his role in the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). He has accumulated 2,000 hours of flight experience on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
In 2019, Shukla trained for a year at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Moscow, Russia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized Shukla on February 27, 2024, as one of the astronauts training for India’s first human spaceflight, Gaganyaan.
In a YouTube video, Shukla spoke of his excitement about flying to space. He found out about his selection about a week before his arrival at Axiom and was thrilled. He emphasized the exceptional quality of his crewmates, considering them friends for life.
Shukla views his training as an amazing experience and hopes to inspire an entire generation in India through this mission. He wants to ignite curiosity among children about scientific pursuits. He believes that if his story can positively affect even one life, it would be a major success.
Ax-4 Mission Commander, Peggy Whitson, commended Shukla’s operational capabilities.