Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Selected for Space Mission; CM Yogi Extends Congratulations

Shubhanshu Shukla, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, has brought pride to the nation and the state. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected for the AXIOM space mission.

UP Shubhanshu Shukla Success Story: Shubhanshu Shukla, son of Shambhu Dayal Shukla and Asha Shukla from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the Axiom-4 mission, a spaceflight to the International Space Station. This achievement is a source of pride for the nation and the state. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has congratulated him on social media.

What did CM Yogi say?

CM Yogi wrote on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter): “From the land of Lord Shri Ram to the expanse of space! Heartiest congratulations to Uttar Pradesh’s son, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, on being selected for the historic Axiom-4 space mission! He is now going to create history—embarking on a space journey carrying the dreams of India. This is a moment of pride for every Indian and every family in Uttar Pradesh.”

प्रभु श्रीराम की धरती से अंतरिक्ष की ओर!
उत्तर प्रदेश के लाल, ग्रुप कैप्टन शुभांशु शुक्ल को ऐतिहासिक #Axiom4 अंतरिक्ष मिशन के लिए चयनित होने पर हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं!

वह अब इतिहास रचने जा रहे हैं—भारत के सपनों को लेकर अंतरिक्ष की यात्रा पर निकलेंगे।

यह हर भारतीय और उत्तर प्रदेश के…

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) May 28, 2025

What is this mission?

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is a private spaceflight undertaken in collaboration between Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA. This mission will travel to the International Space Station (ISS). The flight is expected to launch on June 8, 2025, at 1:11 PM UTC (9:11 AM local time) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will last approximately two to three weeks. It will utilise SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to send the Crew Dragon C213 into low Earth orbit. This will be the first flight of the C213 spacecraft, and it may be the fifth—and possibly last—Crew Dragon built.

Significance for these countries

This mission is particularly significant for India, Poland, and Hungary, as it marks the first time in nearly 40 years that astronauts from these three countries will be travelling to the International Space Station (ISS). Over 60 scientific experiments will be conducted during this mission, marking a new chapter in international collaboration and space research.

Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?

Shubhanshu Shukla’s father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, is a retired government official, and his mother, Asha Shukla, is a homemaker. Shubhanshu is the youngest of three siblings. His wife, Dr. Kamna, is a dentist, and they have a four-year-old son.

NDA Graduate

Shubhanshu Shukla is an alumnus of City Montessori School, Lucknow. Inspired by the 1999 Kargil War, he took and passed the NDA examination. He then graduated in Computer Science from the National Defence Academy and became a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. Today, he is an experienced test pilot with approximately 2000 hours of flight experience. He has flown numerous fighter and transport aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar, and An-32.

Selected for ISRO in 2019

In 2019, when ISRO and the Air Force’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) began their search for astronauts for India’s first human space mission, Shubhanshu was selected. He underwent training at the Yuri Gagarin Training Centre in Russia and completed advanced training in Bengaluru upon his return to India. He also completed an M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from IISc Bengaluru. On 27 February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the names of the team for India’s first astronauts from ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, which included Shubhanshu Shukla.

Now from UP to Space

Axiom Mission 4 will launch in June 2025, with Shubhanshu serving as a pilot. He will be joined by American astronaut Peggy Whitson as commander, Poland’s Sławosz Uznański and Hungary’s Tibor Káposzta as mission specialists. Another Indian astronaut, Prashant Nair, is part of the mission’s backup crew. All have trained at NASA’s Houston-based Johnson Space Center.