Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS — India’s first step toward mastering human spaceflight
His experience will offer Isro valuable insights as it readies Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission, and plans for a space station
Unlike 1984’s Soviet-trained cosmonaut, Shukla has been trained by Isro — a sign of India’s growing capabilities in space
Keeping astronauts safe in orbit means facing radiation, zero gravity, and extreme stress. The learning curve is steep — but crucial
Isro’s experiments on Axiom-4 explore muscle loss and food in space — both vital for long-duration missions
By studying Axiom-4, Isro moves closer to independent human spaceflight — and a permanent place in orbit