NEW DELHI:As the Dragon spacecraft splashed down near the California coast, it marked the return of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla from an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But alongside scientific data and seed samples, the mission brought home a powerful story of grit, ambition, and India’s growing presence in space exploration.
Group Captain Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, made history as the first Indian to board the ISS and the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s landmark mission in 1984. His voyage was part of the Axiom-4 mission, a commercial flight by Axiom Space, supported by ISRO and NASA.
Born a year after Sharma’s flight, Shukla grew up in a middle-class family in Lucknow with no ties to aviation. But a childhood visit to an airshow lit a lifelong spark.
“As a child, he was fascinated by the speed and sound of aircraft,” recalled his sister, Suchi Shukla. “That’s when he first spoke about flying.”
Educated at City Montessori School, Shukla’s journey into aerospace began unexpectedly when a classmate passed him an NDA form. Commissioned into the IAF in 2006, he built a stellar career flying aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, and Jaguar, logging over 2,000 flying hours. He later earned an MTech in Aerospace Engineering from IISc, Bengaluru.
In 2023, he was selected for India’s Gaganyaan mission alongside astronauts Prasanth Balkrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap, and Ajit Krishnan. The team trained at Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Centre and ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility. Before Gaganyaan’s 2027 launch, Shukla got the chance to join the Ax-4 mission, bringing an Indian back to space after 41 years.
Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center on June 25, Shukla entered orbit and exclaimed in Hindi, “Kamaal ki ride thi” (“It was a great ride”). He carried the Indian tricolour on his shoulder and Indian desserts like gajar ka halwa and moong dal halwa to share with his crewmates.
Nicknamed “Shux”, Shukla’s launch-day song—“Yun Hi Chala Chal” from Swades—echoed the mission’s themes of journey and identity.
As pilot of the Ax-4 crew, Shukla flew alongside commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). Together, they conducted experiments and global outreach efforts, including engaging with Indian students via radio and video calls.
Shukla led seven India-designed microgravity experiments spanning life sciences, agriculture, biotechnology, and cognitive studies.
One highlight was a plant germination study by scientists Ravikumar Hosamani and Sudheer Siddapureddy, in which Shukla grew moong and methi seeds in petri dishes, tracking their growth for post-return analysis.
He also worked with cyanobacteria and microalgae—organisms with potential for producing oxygen, food, and biofuels in space—as well as conducted stem cell research to explore injury recovery in microgravity.
“It’s an honour to be the bridge between Indian scientists and the ISS,” he told Axiom’s chief scientist Lucie Low. In a lighter moment, Shukla demonstrated zero-gravity water physics, joking, “I’ve become a water bender here.”
As the mission drew to a close, the Ax-4 crew joined Expedition 73 astronauts in a farewell ceremony on July 13. Shukla expressed gratitude to ISRO and the ISS crew, highlighting India’s scientific contributions and student outreach.
“It’s not just my journey—it’s India’s,” Shukla said during a live session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and students across India.
At his alma mater, CMS, students held a watch party. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon remarked, “From a curious learner to a pioneering astronaut, Shux embodies our mission of ‘Education for World Unity and Peace.’”
Though his mission ended with Dragon ‘Grace’s’ return, Shukla’s space journey is far from over. With Gaganyaan on the horizon, his experience is set to play a vital role in shaping India’s future in human spaceflight.
As he said from the ISS:
“I want each one of you to be part of this journey. Let us embark on India’s human space programme together.”
