Taking off: Shubhanshu Shukla and the Ax-4 mission

IAF's Shukla, who is captaining the Ax-4 mission, is set to become the first Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984

Jun 11, 2025, 12:10 IST1 min

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The Ax-4 mission will send four astronauts, including Shukla, to the ISS for two weeks—contributing critical data for India’s future space initiatives.

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Ax-4, which was scheduled for June 11, but is postponed, is Axiom’s most research-intensive mission to date, supporting 60 experiments from 31 countries—including India’s studies on crop resilience and tardigrade biology. The team will share a new launch date soon.

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An accomplished IAF officer with over 2,000 flying hours, Shukla has been preparing for human spaceflight since 2019 and now plays a pivotal role in India’s Gaganyaan programme.

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Shukla is viewing this journey as a shared journey for 1.4 billion people in India.

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