The Indian Air Force Group Captain and Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla made history today by becoming the second Indian to travel to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who did so in 1984. 39-year-old pilot, Shukla, is the first Indian to command the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a commercial space mission. The Axiom 4 mission to the ISS was successfully launched today, June 25, at 12:05. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon capsule lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
What motivated Shukla to join the astronaut training programme?
Shubhanshu Shukla, from Lucknow, completed his schooling at City Montessori School's Aliganj campus. During the 1999 Kargil War, he decided to serve the nation. Motivated by this, he qualified for the NDA exam to pursue his dream. He graduated in Computer Science from NDA and completed postgraduate studies in Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
What training programme did Shubhanshu Shukla join?
In 2019, he was selected for India's Gaganyaan mission, which led to his participation in the Astronaut Training Programme. He underwent training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia, engaging in rigorous simulations, survival exercises, and physical conditioning, completing the course in 2021. He then continued his mission-specific training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru, further honing his skills. His preparation spanned multiple international frontiers. Training modules at the European Space Agency in Germany and Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency added to his versatility, preparing him for collaborative and multicultural events aboard the ISS.
'What a ride,' says astronaut Shukla as India returns to human spaceflight
“Kya kamaal ki ride thi (what an amazing ride),” India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla remarked as SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft entered orbit around the Earth within ten minutes of launch from NASA’s spaceport in Florida. Florida.
