President Droupadi Murmu on Monday (January 26) conferred the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, on Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla at the Republic Day celebrations held at Kartavya Path in New Delhi, the centrepiece boulevard of the national capital.
Group Captain Shukla created history by becoming the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS), marking a landmark moment for India’s space and defence capabilities. The honour was presented during the ceremonial parade amid tight security and grand celebrations marking the 77th Republic Day.
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As President Murmu presented the medal, Shukla's wife, Kamna Mishra, was seen visibly emotional in the stands, reflecting the pride and sacrifice behind the historic achievement.
Shubhanshu Shukla historic Axiom-4 mission
In June last year, Shukla became the second Indian to have gone to space and the first to visit the ISS as part of the historic Axiom-4 mission. His 18-day space odyssey came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Russian Soyuz-11 space mission.
As a fighter pilot, Shukla has an impressive record of 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Shukla served as pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station and left an indelible mark on India's remarkable advancements in human space exploration.
After the successful space mission, Group Captain Shukla became a household name as his contribution during the mission, including the conduct of sophisticated experiments, received recognition from global space experts.
The Axiom-4 mission was executed by US-based private firm Axiom Space, and it involved NASA, European Space Agency (Esa), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Group Captain Shukla hails from Lucknow. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 2006.
