Indian Pilot set for Historic Space Journey

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become only the second Indian to travel to space when the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) launches next week.

The flight is scheduled for 10 June from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Shukla will serve as pilot on the four-member international crew heading to the International Space Station (ISS).

The role makes him second-in-command, assisting with launch, docking, undocking and return operations.

Shukla said: “It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come.

“As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.

“I request all Indians to pray for the success of our mission.”

The mission marks the first time in 41 years that an Indian has travelled to space. Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma was the first, flying aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.

Ax-4 has drawn widespread attention in India.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) paid £43 million for Shukla’s seat and training.

Officials say the mission will help India prepare for future space ambitions, including its own space station by 2035 and a Moon landing by 2040.

Shukla is one of four Indian Air Force officers shortlisted for India’s first human spaceflight, the Gaganyaan mission, planned for 2027.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said: “The benefit we will get from this mission is phenomenal in terms of the training, exposure to the facilities and the experience of jointly conducting experiments in space.”

Sudeesh Balan, ISRO project director, said: “He’s undergone rigorous training, including physical and psychological assessments, to prepare for the journey.”

The Ax-4 team also includes Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu. Like Shukla, both are reviving their countries’ presence in space after more than four decades.

The mission is led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has commanded the ISS twice and completed 10 spacewalks.

Speaking at a press conference, she said:

“We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well.”

The crew introduced a small white toy swan named Joy, described as “the fifth crew member” of the mission.

Group Captain Shukla said the past year had been “nothing short of transformative”. He and the rest of the Ax-4 crew have been in quarantine since May 25.

The mission is operated by US-based private firm Axiom Space, in collaboration with NASA, ISRO, and the European Space Agency.

The crew will travel aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket and spend two weeks aboard the ISS.

India is also testing systems for the Gaganyaan mission. In December, a female humanoid robot will be sent to space as part of preparations.