Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the ‘prime astronaut’ for Indo-US mission to space? | Technology News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday picked its astronaut-designate for the Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been named as the prime astronaut. Shukla will be part of the upcoming ISS mission along with Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, who has been named as the backup.
Shukla and Nair are members of the Indian Air Force and will represent India in the upcoming high-stakes space mission. This is following ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) closing a Space Flight Agreement with Axiom Space, a US-based space infrastructure developer. Shukla and Nair will be a part of the Axiom-4 mission where they will be the primary mission pilot and backup pilot respectively.
Who is Shubhanshu Shukla?
Shukla, who recently got promoted, was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on October 10, 1985. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned on June 17, 2006, in IAF’s fighter stream. Shukla is a Fighter Combat leader and a test pilot with around 2,000 hours of flying experience to his credit. Sukhoi-30MKI, Mig-21, Mig-29, An-32, Dornier, Hawk, and Jaguar are some of the aircraft flown by Shukla.
Reportedly, Shukla who was inspired by the tales of bravery from the Kargil War, joined the armed forces. The war broke out in 1999 when he was just 14 years old and this historic event shaped his future ambitions. At 39, he is the youngest to be picked as an astronaut-designate.
What do we know about the Axiom Mission 4?
The Axiom Mission-4 is slated for a launch in October 2024 and it is a private spaceflight to the ISS operated by Axiom Space. The mission is supported by SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. It will take off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida from a Falcon 9 launcher. The mission is said to last for 14 days. Axiom Mission-4 follows after the success of Axiom-1, Axiom-2 and Axiom-3. This collaboration between ISRO, Axiom Space, and Nasa is a significant leap forward in international space cooperation.
Meanwhile, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, the back-up astronaut for the mission was born in Thiruvazhiyad in Kerala on August 26, 1976. Nair who is also an alumnus of National Defence Academy, is a recipient of the Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy. On December 19, 1998, Nair was commissioned to the fighter stream. He also holds the highest achievement of being a flying instructor and has around 3000 hours of flying experience to his credit.
This is a historic feat, as so far India has had only one astronaut in space, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma who was aboard the Indo-Soviet mission in 1984.
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