Shubhanshu Shukla Explained

Shubhanshu Shukla
Type:Astronaut candidate
Nationality:Indian
Birth Date:10 October 1985
Birth Place:Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Occupation:Test pilot
Selection:2019
Missions:Axiom Mission 4 (scheduled)
Module:
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Allegiance: India
Rank: Wing Commander
Alma Mater:National Defence Academy

Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force test pilot and one of the four astronaut candidates who will fly to space as part of India's first crewed flights into space.[1] [2]

In August 2024, Shukla was announced as the pilot of Axiom Mission 4, a private mission to the International Space Station scheduled for November 2024.[3]

Career

Shukla is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his NDA course in 2005.

He is a test pilot with about 2,000 hours of flying experience. [4]

Astronaut selection

Shukla 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.[2]

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.[2] [5]

Notes and References

  1. News: Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight. Geeta. Pandey. bbc.com. BBC News. 27 February 2024. 27 February 2024.
  2. News: Kumar . Chethan . Nair, Prathap, Krishnan and Chauhan listed for Gaganyaan mission . 27 February 2024 . The Timesof India . Times Group . Bengaluru.
  3. https://spacenews.com/hungary-and-poland-to-join-india-on-ax-4/
  4. News: Gaganyaan astronauts:The chosen four. Vasudevan Mukunth. thehindu.com. The Hindu. 3 March 2024. 8 March 2024.
  5. News: Kerala celebrates as local son Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair gears up for Gaganyaan space mission . 27 February 2024 . The Telegraph . ABP . 27 February 2024 . Palakkad.