Rapid Fire
First Indian to Pilot Axiom Mission
- 01 Feb 2025
- 1 min read
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on a private mission in 2025.
- It is led by NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the mission pilot.
- He is also the astronaut-designate for India’s human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan.
- He will board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), a joint venture between NASA and ISRO.
- The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) will involve astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary and is the first such collaboration in over 40 years.
- The astronauts will spend 14 days aboard the ISS conducting scientific experiments, educational outreach, and commercial activities with NASA and ISRO.
- Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission under the Interkosmos program.
Read More: Gaganyaan Astronauts Selected for Axiom-4 Mission
