Meet Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India's 1st astronaut to reach the ISS
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla just became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS). The Air Force officer spent 18 days in space with Axiom Mission 4, running experiments on health and even growing fenugreek and mung beans.
He was honored with the Ashoka Chakra this Republic Day for his high-stakes contributions.
How did he get there?
Shukla joined the Indian Air Force in 2006 and has about 2,000 flying hours on jets like the Su-30 MKI.
Chosen for ISRO's Gaganyaan program in 2019, he trained at top centers in Russia, NASA, and ISRO before heading to space.
His prep included hands-on science work like studying alloys and protein crystals.
What's next for him?
After piloting Axiom Mission 4 to the ISS last year, Shukla is expected to help train India's future astronauts—Vyomanauts—for their own crewed mission to low Earth orbit planned in the years ahead.