Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force test pilot and one of the four astronaut candidates who will fly to space as part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.[2][3]
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla | |
|---|---|
 Shukla in 2024 | |
| Born | 10 October 1985 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | National Defence Academy (BTech) |
| Occupation | Test pilot |
| Space career | |
| Astronaut candidate | |
| Selection | 2019 |
| Missions | Axiom Mission 4 (scheduled) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 2006–present [1] |
| Rank |  Group Captain |
| Service number | 29014 |
In August 2024, Shukla was announced as the pilot of Axiom Mission 4, a private mission to the International Space Station scheduled for spring 2025.[4][5] The cost of Shukla's seat on the mission has been quoted as being in the "mid-$60-million range" (around 506 crore rupees).[6]
Career
editShukla is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his NDA course in 2005 and commissioned into the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 2006.
He is a test pilot with about 2,000 hours of flying experience. [7]
Astronaut selection
editShukla was included in the astronaut selection process in 2019 by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), an organization under the Indian Air Force. Later, he was shortlisted in the final four by IAM and ISRO. In 2020, He went to Russia for basic training with three other selected astronauts. Basic training was completed in 2021. He then returned to India and attended training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore.[3]
His name as a member of the astronaut team was first officially announced in public on 27 February 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the names of the astronaut team members for India's first space mission at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.[3][8]
References
edit- ^ https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/29014
- ^ Pandey, Geeta (27 February 2024). "Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight". bbc.com. BBC News. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Kumar, Chethan. "Nair, Prathap, Krishnan and Chauhan listed for Gaganyaan mission". The Timesof India. Bengaluru: Times Group. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Hungary and Poland to join India on Ax-4". 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Axiom Space's next astronaut mission to the ISS with SpaceX delayed to spring 2025". Space.com. 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Axiom Space Astronaut Missions are Building Human Experience, Opportunity in LEO". axiomspace.com. Axiom Space. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ Vasudevan Mukunth (3 March 2024). "Gaganyaan astronauts:The chosen four". thehindu.com. The Hindu. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Kerala celebrates as local son Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair gears up for Gaganyaan space mission". The Telegraph. Palakkad. ABP. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
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