Shubhanshu Shukla from India Creates History: He joined Axiom Mission 4 to Space

A new history has been added to India’s space journey. Indian Air Force officer and aerospace engineer Shubhanshu Shukla, who hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has now become the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to reach space. He did this feat through Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4), which is a proud moment not only for him but for the entire country.

This mission is also special for India because after almost 41 years an Indian has once again gone to space with a human mission.

Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?

Shubhanshu Shukla was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He is an Indian Air Force officer and was good in studies since childhood. He has studied aerospace engineering from IIT Kanpur. His passion for science, technology and space brought him to this point.

Shubhanshu was selected for the Ax‑4 mission by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and a US company named Axiom Space. This selection was not only due to his ability, but is also a part of the preparation for India’s future big mission Gaganyaan.

Earlier, Rakesh Sharma had gone to space in 1984, but he did not go to the ISS because the ISS was not built at that time. He went to space through the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 mission.

Who is 1st astronaut Rakesh Sharma astronaut?

Rakesh Sharma is India’s first astronaut, who traveled to space on 3 April 1984 under the Soviet Union’s space mission Soyuz T-11. He was the wing commander of the Indian Air Force and stayed in the Soviet space station Salyut 7 for about 8 days. During the mission, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked “How does India look from space?”, he replied – “Saare Jahan Se Achcha…”. This historic answer made him immortal in the hearts of the country.

Rakesh Sharma retired from the Indian Air Force after his space journey and then worked for some time in HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). Now he lives in Bengaluru (Karnataka) and is leading a quiet life.

What is Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4)?

Ax‑4 mission is a mission in which four international astronauts have been sent to the space station ISS under a private mission. This mission includes scientists from India, America, Poland and Hungary.

This mission was launched on 25 June 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the US with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew Dragon capsule used in this was named “Grace”.

Shubhanshu and his team successfully docked with the ISS on 26 June, that is, their spaceship went and joined the space station.

Who are in this mission?

Ax‑4 mission has astronauts from four different countries.

1. Peggy Whitson (USA) – Commander: America’s very experienced female astronaut. She has spent 665 days in space.

2. Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – Pilot:
From our country India. He has been given the technical responsibilities of flying the spacecraft and the mission.

3. Slavoj Uznanski (Poland) – Mission Specialist:
Scientist from Europe’s ESA agency, who is from Poland.

4. Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – Mission Specialist:
Engineer from Hungary, who has received training from the HUNOR program.

Why is this mission special for India?

1. For the first time an Indian went to a space station

In 1984, Rakesh Sharma went to space, but he went on a Soviet mission and there was no ISS at that time. Shubhanshu is the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS).

2. Return after 41 years

India has again entered space through a human mission after 41 years. This is an inspiration for our new generation of scientists and youth.

3. Strong partnership with ISRO and NASA

Ax-4 is a proof of the strong partnership between India and the world’s major space agencies – especially with NASA, SpaceX, and ESA. This will give India an opportunity to be a part of more missions in the future.

4. Foundation of Gaganyaan

This mission of Shubhanshu is an important part of the preparation of India’s own mission Gaganyaan. In future, ISRO will launch its own astronauts from India.

India has spent 550 Crore for Shubhanshu Shukla

India spent around ₹550 crore to send Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission launched on June 25, 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It is a commercial mission carried out through a partnership between ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX, marking India’s return to human spaceflight after 41 years.

Shubhanshu Shukla is piloting the mission and will stay in space for 14 days, during which he will conduct 60 scientific experiments, including 7 from ISRO. The ₹550 crore includes costs for his training, experiment setup, and necessary space hardware. This mission is an important step towards India’s own Gaganyaan mission and shows India’s growing strength in space technology.

What will Shubhanshu Shukla do in space?

During this mission, the team will stay on the space station ISS for 14 days and will do more than 60 scientific research and experiments. Some of the key tasks include:

1. Studying the effects of space on the human body

2. Research on cells and tissues in microgravity

3. Food science and testing new space technology

4. Biological research, which will help in treating diseases in the future

Shubhanshu Shukla will be responsible for some biological experiments, especially related to engineering.

What did Shubhanshu Shukla take with him from India?

Every astronaut takes some special things with him, so that he can feel connected to his country and home. Shubhanshu also took some lovely things with him:

1. A swan-shaped soft toy – which is a zero gravity indicator

2. A small Indian flag – which will flutter there and become a symbol of pride

3. Mango juice, sweets and chocolates – so that the taste of the country remains with him even on foreign soil

With these things, he has taken the soil, culture and spirit of India to space.

What is India’s next step?

Now that Shubhanshu has created history, India’s next big step will be the Gaganyaan mission, which will have a completely Indian rocket, spaceship and astronauts. ISRO has intensified preparations for this and it is believed that soon India will do its own space flight.

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