IAF’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to Pilot Ax-4 Mission to ISS, Marking India’s Private Spaceflight Debut
New Delhi: India is set to mark a new milestone in its space journey as Indian Air Force officer Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) next month aboard Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission.
Announced by Minister of State for Space and Atomic Energy Dr. Jitendra Singh, the mission signifies a landmark achievement in India’s growing presence in global space exploration. “India is poised to script a defining chapter in its space journey,” Dr. Singh said after a high-level ISRO review meeting in New Delhi.
India poised to script a defining chapter in its Space journey, as the international Space mission carrying an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) has been scheduled for next month, May 2025. Group Captain Shukla is to become the first Indian ever to visit… pic.twitter.com/NvyaFWfi8u
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) April 18, 2025
Group Captain Shukla, 40, selected as the youngest of ISRO’s astronaut designees, has been undergoing rigorous training with NASA and Axiom Space for the past eight months. He will serve as the mission’s pilot, becoming the first Indian to travel to the ISS on a private commercial mission.
The Ax-4 crew will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, housed in the Crew Dragon capsule. The mission will be commanded by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, now with Axiom Space, with Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu serving as mission specialists.
India has reportedly invested over $60 million for Shukla’s participation in this international collaboration, reinforcing its strategic commitment to space diplomacy and technological advancement. The mission also strengthens India’s trajectory toward future ventures like Gaganyaan and its goal of becoming a global leader in space innovation.
