Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Completes SpaceX Training Ahead of Historic ISS Mission
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is ready to make history as he completes his training for the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for launch on May 29, 2025. The mission will make Shukla the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 voyage aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11.
The Ax-4 mission is being organized by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA, SpaceX, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). As part of the training regimen, Shukla suited up and practiced launch and re-entry procedures in a mock version of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in California. He will serve as the pilot for the mission, which is set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:33 pm IST.
Shukla will be joined by three other astronauts on this 14-day mission: Commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and veteran of multiple spaceflights; Sawosz Uznaski-Winiewski, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from Poland; and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
His selection for the Ax-4 mission follows a long journey of preparation and training. In 2019, Shukla was chosen as one of the four astronaut candidates for India’s Gaganyaan mission—ISRO’s ambitious human spaceflight program. He underwent rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia and later at ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore.
During his time aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct seven scientific experiments developed by Indian institutions. These include studies on the cognitive effects of screen use in microgravity, microbial adaptation, muscle atrophy, and crop resilience in space environments—critical areas for future long-duration space missions. In a symbolic gesture, he also plans to perform yoga aboard the ISS, showcasing Indian culture in orbit.
The mission is not only a personal milestone for Shukla but also a significant step for India’s space ambitions. ISRO has emphasized that Ax-4 aligns with its goals of building long-term human spaceflight capability, contributing valuable data and experience toward the development of the Bharatiya Antriksh Station—a proposed Indian space station.
The experiments and insights from Shukla’s mission are expected to directly benefit the Gaganyaan program and inform strategies for sustaining human presence in low Earth orbit. As India continues to expand its role in global space exploration, Shukla’s mission marks a proud moment and a new chapter in the nation’s journey beyond Earth.
IT.
