On June 10 at 5:52 pm IST, as the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) will lift off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, it will carry not only India’s first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), but also a box of selected Indian dishes.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a combat pilot, test flyer, and one of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) four Gaganyaan astronauts will spend 14 days aboard the ISS conducting crucial scientific experiments.
And here’s what he will eat: aam ras, gajar ka halwa, and sprouting moong in microgravity.
For Shukla, a 38-year-old Lucknow native and seasoned Indian Air Force pilot with over 2,000 hours of flight experience, food is not just about sustenance. It’s about identity and continuity, even 400 kilometres above Earth.
A culinary first for India
Collaborating with the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), ISRO scientists have created space-compatible versions of traditional Indian meals.
The final approved menu for Shukla includes aam ras, moong dal halwa, gajar halwa, and a few rice-based options. These dishes are packed in vacuum-sealed containers and require rehydration before consumption.
“Since Indian food is high on spices, he wasn’t getting the permission to carry them. But finally, they did allow a few varieties,” said his sister, Suchi Shukla, a science teacher in Lucknow, in an interview to Hindustan Times. “He is a fitness freak and highly into yoga, so I am sure he will balance it.”
The meals are the outcome of years of research.
According to DFRL officials, ready-to-eat variants of pulao, biryani, idli, upma, dal, roti, and even vegetable curry have now been adapted for zero gravity environments. These dishes, although likely to raise eyebrows at Nasa’s Space Food Systems Laboratory, are expected to be part of future Indian human spaceflights, including Gaganyaan.
Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shukla was commissioned into the IAF fighter wing in 2006 and rose to the rank of group captain in March 2024. His résumé includes flight hours on aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, and Jaguar. In 2019, he was selected by ISRO and sent for a year-long training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
On February 27 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced him as one of the four astronauts shortlisted for Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight program scheduled for launch in 2025. Ax-4, however, marks his first trip to space.
While the food has caught public attention, Shukla’s mission objectives are rooted in science.
ISRO, in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Nasa, has designed seven India-led experiments for Ax-4, alongside five joint studies as part of Nasa’s human research program.
In Ridley Scott’s 2015 film The Martian, Matt Damon’s character grows potatoes on Mars to stay alive. After a series of complex calculations and experiments, Watney’s moment of triumph in The Martian—when tiny green leaves emerge from his makeshift potato patch, hinted that living on Mars might not be pure science fiction.
In what officials describe as a first, Shukla will attempt to sprout methi (fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions aboard the ISS.
These experiments are part of a broader effort to understand how Indian food crops behave in space environments, with long-term applications for future space farming and long-duration missions.
Shubhanshu Shukla may not be stranded on a planet, but his microgravity methi and moong experiment aboard the ISS will put Indian spices on the interstellar map.
The nutritional profile of Indian cuisine, combined with the need for space-friendly packaging and preparation, makes this an important frontier in food research.
For Shukla, who plans to document his mission through photos and videos for “Bharatvaasis back home,” the chance to eat Indian food in space is personal. And symbolic.
Since Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 flight aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11, India hasn’t sent an astronaut to space. Shukla will become the second Indian in space.
For now, Shukla’s mission is being closely followed not just by space agencies, but by food scientists, and more than a few Indian mothers curious to see if moong dal can make it to space.
Shukla is expected to return in mid-June.