Two decades after he ran away from his sister’s wedding to appear for the National Defence Academy exam, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has made history as the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station.
Shukla is an Indian Air Force combat pilot with over 2,000 hours of flight experience on aircrafts including the Su-30MKI, MiG-21, and Jaguar. Shukla is now the Mission Pilot aboard the Axiom Mission 4, launched by SpaceX from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
In over 14 days in space, Shukla will conduct more than 60 experiments, including a first-of-its-kind attempt to sprout Indian crops methi (fenugreek) and moong (pulse) in microgravity—part of a broader initiative exploring the future of space farming.
Shukla has carried boxes of Indian delicacies including mango nectar and ‘moong dal halwa’, to share with his international crewmates.
In this historic journey of grit, grace and determination, Shukla follows the footsteps of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to travel to space in 1984.
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