Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to travel to space, after Rakesh Sharma’s space journey in 1984. At just 39 years old, he is the youngest astronaut chosen under India’s human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, and served as the mission pilot on board the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). 

Shukla says this journey is not just about reaching space,  it’s about inspiring young Indians. He hopes that his story encourages more children to dream big. “Even if my story changes one life, it will be a huge success for me,” he said. His journey from Lucknow to Low Earth Orbit is a proud moment for the entire country and a major leap for India’s space future.

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shukla is the youngest of the four astronaut-designates trained under India’s Gaganyaan program. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on June 17, 2006, as a fighter pilot. Over the years, he has become a highly decorated Fighter Combat Leader and Test Pilot, with about 2,000 hours of flying experience on various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.

About Axiom-4

The Axiom-4 mission, also called Mission Akash Ganga, is a joint effort by Axiom Space (USA), NASA, and ISRO. The mission launched on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, powered by a Falcon 9 rocket, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It took off from the same place where Apollo 11 launched in 1969. Shukla is joined by three other astronauts — Dr Peggy Whitson from the USA, who is the mission commander and America’s most experienced astronaut; Sławosz Uznański from Poland; and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This is the first time astronauts from these three countries have visited the ISS on a government-supported mission in over 40 years.

During their 14-day stay at the ISS, the team will carry out over 60 scientific experiments related to human health, space science, biology, material science, and Earth observation. Many of these are led by Indian scientists and are part of India's growing role in global space research. The mission also shows the strength of India-US space cooperation, which was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in 2023. ISRO plans to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040, and this mission is a big step toward that goal.