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IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), said on Friday that when one leaves the planet to be in space, Earth becomes their identity. Shukla, who was in Goa, said that nationality doesn't matter in space, as humanity takes precedence. Describing his experience at the ISS, he said that looking out from the station felt like being in an office with the best view possible. It was just too fascinating, he said, virtually addressing students from schools affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, as part of a session titled Igniting Minds, Exploring Frontiers: The Convergence of Space, Education, and Industry'. During the interactive session, he said people may have different identities in this world, but they blur when one is in space. When you are a kid and going to school, our home and parents become our identity. When we go to college, the college becomes our identity. When you le
Astronauts with diabetes may soon be able to undertake space missions safely, a study conducted during Shubhanshu Shukla's travel to the International Space Station has found. The Suite Ride experiment, conducted by UAE-based healthcare firm Burjeel Holdings during the Axiom-4 mission, found that everyday diabetes tools used by millions on Earth can be used comprehensively to provide end-to-end diabetes monitoring from space to ground and back to space. "This historic advancement opens the door to future astronauts with diabetes and provides new solutions in remote healthcare," a statement from Burjeel Holdings said. The results of the study were announced at the Burjeel Institute for Global Health, New York, in the presence of Shamsheer Vayalil, founder of Burjeel Holdings and Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO, Axiom Space. As per the research results, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), a wearable medical device tracking blood sugar levels in real time, and insulin pens can operate reliably in
NASA introduced its newest astronauts Monday, 10 scientists, engineers and test pilots chosen from more than 8,000 applicants to help explore the moon and possibly Mars. For the first time, there were more women than men in a NASA astronaut class. They included a geologist who worked on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, a SpaceX engineer who flew on a billionaire-sponsored spaceflight that featured the world's first private spacewalk and a former SpaceX launch director. The group will undergo two years of training before becoming eligible for spaceflight. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said one of them could become the first person to step on Mars. It is the 24th astronaut class for NASA since the original Mercury Seven made their debut in 1959. The previous class was in 2021. Only 370 people have been selected by NASA as astronauts, making it an extraordinarily small and elite group composed mostly of men. The latest additions revealed during a ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Centre
"The entire landscape is changing, and I think the future is extremely bright," said astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla here on Monday, while stressing that it was only perseverance that has defined his success. Shukla reached his hometown this morning for the first time since his historic AXIOM 4 space mission. Although he arrived in India from the US on August 17, he is visiting the Uttar Pradesh capital now after participating in multiple outreach events, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18 in Delhi. Speaking to children at his alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), the first Indian to visit the International Space Station said, "In my experience that I have had in the last five years of training and last one year of flying to the International Space Station and coming back -- looking at how this entire landscape is changing, I think the future is extremely bright." "We are at the right time, right opportunities exist
Undergoing survival tests in simulated environment, learning photography to document space experiences and a team kayaking off the Mexican coast to foster camaraderie -- these were some of the activities that the crew of Axiom-4 had engaged in before setting off on the mission, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said. During an event hosted by the Indian Air Force on Sunday, Group Captain Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the training he underwent prior to it. After several postponements, the Dragon spacecraft carrying him and other three astronauts was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US on June 25. "It was so powerful, it literally shakes every bone in your body. You are going from 0 km/hr to 28,500 km/hr in 8.5 minutes, and that speaks about the magnitude of it," Shukla recalled the intensity of the lift-off experience. As the spacecraf
IAF's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla grew as a "shy and reserved" person, hearing stories of the 1984 spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in his childhood days. On Sunday, Shukla, India's second astronaut to travel to space after Sharma, was signing autographs for school students and obliging fellow air warriors queuing up to get clicked with him. Life, like his recent space sojourn in a spacecraft orbit, has indeed come full circle for Shukla. The occasion was the felicitation of Shukla and three other chosen Gaganyaan astronauts by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here. During the event, Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his journey of joining the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). "I grew up as a shy and reserved person. We used to hear stories of the spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in our childhood days," he said. Shu
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday said he grew up as a "shy and reserved" person and while young, he never dreamt of flying to space. Shukla, who spoke at an IAF event, said he listened to stories of Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight, but the dream to travel to space didn't take root early in his life. "I grew up as a shy and reserved person. We used to hear stories of the spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in our childhood days," he said. The astronaut also shared his experience of being part of the recently concluded Axiom 4 mission, which made him the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who felicitated the four Gaganyaan astronauts, including Shukla, said the Gaganyaan mission symbolises a "new chapter" in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Astronaut Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair on Thursday likened Shubhanshu Shukla's return to India after a successful space mission to the festival of Diwali, which is celebrated to mark Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya. Group Captain Nair, who was the backup astronaut for Shukla for the Axiom-4 mission, also likened himself to Laxman, the younger brother of Lord Ram. "A few months from now, we will celebrate Diwali. That's the time when Shri Ram entered Ayodhya. We are here right now with Ram that is Shux, and I can call myself Laxman. It feels like Diwali today, and all our countrymen are here to receive us," Nair said at a press conference here. Shukla, who had the callsign 'Shux' during the Axiom-4 mission, and Nair returned to India earlier this week after nearly a year-long stay in the US, during which they trained for the mission to the International Space Station (ISS). "Remember, I am elder to Shux. But I would love to be Laxman to this Ram every day. Ram and Laxman got a lot of he
After 18 days of intense science experiments at the International Space Station, it is time for farewells and feasts for Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission who are set to begin their return journey to Earth on Monday. The Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crewCommander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu "Shux" Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz "Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapuare nearing the completion of their research and preparing to undock no earlier than at 7:05 am ET (4:35 pm IST) on Monday. "Arrival back to earth.... splash down scheduled for 15th July at 3:00 PM IST," Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said in a post on X. A formal farewell for the Axiom-4 crew is scheduled for Sunday evening, India time. As the Axiom-4 mission drew to a close, astronauts on board the ISS gathered for a feast with a diverse menu from the six nations they represent. Currently, there are 11 astronauts on the ISS, seven of Expedition 73 and four of the ..
The family of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA's Axiom-4 mission, on Friday expressed joy and pride after speaking to him, and said they are eagerly awaiting his safe return on July 14. Speaking to PTI Videos from their Lucknow residence, Shubhanshu's father Shambhu Dayal Shukla said the family is relieved to know that the mission is proceeding smoothly. "Everything is fine in space. It felt great to see that his mission is going well. He showed us where he works, where he sleeps, his lab, and how his daily routine looks like," he said. "We felt very happy after talking to him. He explained everything to us very clearly. We are also doing well here and are eagerly looking forward to welcoming him back. Our entire family and extended relatives are happy and waiting for his return," he added. Shubhanshu's mother Asha Shukla said she was especially moved by the visuals her son shared from space. "He told us how beauti
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission are set to return to earth from the International Space Station on July 14, NASA said on Thursday. We are working with the station program, watching the Axiom-4 progress carefully. I think we need to undock that mission and the current target to undock is July 14, Steve Stitch, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program, told a press conference. The Axiom-4 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre at Florida on June 25 and the Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station on June 26 after a 28-hour journey.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Friday said he and fellow astronauts on the International Space Station relished 'aam ras', 'gajar ka halwa', 'moong dal halwa' and delicacies from other countries as he completed a week on board the orbital lab. Shukla, who docked at the ISS on June 26 as part of the Axiom-4 mission, completed a week on the ISS and got a day off, which he spent connecting with family and friends back on Earth. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, which includes Shukla and three other astronauts, completed 113 orbits around the Earth by the end of July 3, clocking over 4.66 million km, which is equivalent to nearly 12 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. "It was a good moment. We got food from different countries and got to share it with all the crew," Shukla, who has the call sign Shux', said in a brief interaction with scientists at the URSC, Bengaluru over HAM radio connection. On Thursday, Shukla also became the Indian astronaut with the longest stay in space, .
Ahead of his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has termed the preparations for the Axiom-4 mission as an "amazing journey" and that he was extremely fortunate to be part of something that is "much larger than yourself". The 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot is all set to travel with three other crew members to the ISS onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday at 5:52 pm IST. Shukla, who goes by the nickname "Shux", will be the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984 onboard erstwhile Soviet Union's Soyuz spacecraft for an eight-day stay in orbit. "It has been an amazing journey; these are the moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself. I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this,"
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are set to embark on the Axiom Space's fourth human spaceflight from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 10 and are likely to dock at the International Space Station on June 11 at about 10 PM IST, after a nearly 28-hour journey. Shukla, the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) commercial mission to the ISS, will be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson and specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland. The Axiom-4 mission will mark India's return to space 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz mission in 1984. "The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 p.m.EDT (10:00 p.m. IST), Wednesday, June 11," NASA said in a statement. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan visited Axiom Space last week to review the preparations fo