India's Shubhanshu Shukla set to travel to International Space Station on June 8. Who is he? What is his mission?
The launch of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, originally set for May 29, has been postponed and is now scheduled for June 8 at 6:41 PM IST, as reported by PTI.
The mission will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the mission, accompanied by three other crew members. The updated launch timeline was announced by Axiom Space, a US-based commercial spaceflight company, in collaboration with NASA.
"After reviewing @Space_Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions. The new targeted no-earlier-than-launch opportunities, pending operational readiness, are: Axiom Mission 4: 9:11 am EDT, Sunday, June 8," NASA said in a post on X.
Shukla's travel to space, onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, comes four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.
Shubhanshu Shukla was born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his higher education at City Montessori School in Lucknow. He is married to a dentist from Jankipuram, Lucknow, and the couple has a four-year-old son.
Following his schooling, Shukla joined the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 17, 2006, in the fighter stream. He rose through the ranks and currently holds the position of Group Captain, having previously served as a Wing Commander.
Shukla serves as a fighter combat test pilot in the IAF and has accumulated over 2,000 hours of flying experience. He has flown a wide range of aircraft, including the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mig-21, Mig-29, An-32, Dornier, Hawk, and Jaguar.
Shubhanshu Shukla is set to carry out seven experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, PTI reported. Moreover, these experiments are aimed to promote microgravity research in India, aligning with the country's broader ambitions of establishing its own space station by 2035 and sending astronauts to the Moon by 2047.
As part of the mission, ISRO has outlined plans to focus on India-centric scientific studies, including experiments involving the sprouting of methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions, PTI reported.
Shubhanshu Shukla's journey marks a significant milestone in India's space exploration efforts.
Joining the Ax-4 crew is Slawosz Uznanski, a project astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), who will become the second Polish astronaut since 1978.
(With inputs from agencies)
Key Takeaways Shukla is part of the Axiom-4 mission, highlighting India's growing role in space research.
The mission includes experiments aimed at promoting microgravity research in India.
Shukla's flight symbolizes a leap towards India's ambition of establishing its own space station by 2035.
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