Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on October 10, 1985, is set to embark on the Axiom-4 mission along with three other astronauts, At 38 years old, he holds the distinction of being the youngest among the team. His educational journey took place at City Montessori School (CMS), and He tied the knot with Dentist Kamna Shukla in 2009, and the couple was blessed with a son named Kiyas, who is around 5 years old. At the age of 16, he successfully cleared the NDA (National Defence Academy) examination.
Commissioned into the Indian Air Force on January 17, 2006, Shubhanshu Shukla chose the fighter stream and has since become a distinguished fighter combat leader and test pilot. With an impressive flying record of around 2,000 hours, he has piloted various fighter aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, An-32, and others. His extensive experience showcases his expertise and readiness for the upcoming space mission.
His path to becoming an astronaut for the Axion-4 mission start after with selection for Gagannaut for Gaganyaan Mission. His rigorous training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Russia, lasting about a year, even amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, he delved into studying the intricacies of the Soyuz manned spaceship and underwent training in a simulated weightless environment aboard the IL-76MDK aircraft. He is 3rd Gagannuat which was selected for Gaganyaan mission, but is going to space before much earlier than Gaganyaan mission. Axiom-4 is expected to launch in April 2025 You can read more about him in the Times of India article.
Shubhanshu Shukla
He will be the second astronaut of India, after Rakesh Sharma, to go to space after 41. He will spend around 2 to 3 weeks in International Space Station. He will be launched by SpaceX ‘ Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon 2 spaceship from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He will fly to ISS with 3 astronauts Peggy Whitson from USA, Slawosz Uznanski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.Peggy Whitson is a retaired astronute of NASA, she is a biochemistry top researcher.
Axiom-4 mission is the mission of an American private company “Axiom Space Inc.” This company is funded by American millionaire. The Indian government is said to have paid around $55 million (476.27 crore INR) to Shubhanshu Shukla for his space mission, though this amount is not officially confirmed
Read more Know More About Indian Astronaut Group Captain Ajit Krishnan from the Gaganyaan Mission
Know more about Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, an SU-30MKI Pilot, to Serves as Mission Commander for Gaganyaan Mission