Group Captain Shubhanshu selected for Axiom Mission-4

Why in news?

• Shubhanshu Shukla of Lucknow has been selected as the pilot of Axiom Mission-4 for the International Space Station (ISS).
  • He will be the first ISRO astronaut to travel to the ISS under the NASA-Axiom Space collaboration.

Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) astronauts:

Axiom Mission-4:

• It is a private space mission.
• It is being operated by Axiom Space. 
• This mission will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) and will include various astronauts.
• Convenience: Axiom Space, jointly operated by NASA and SpaceX.
• Launch Vehicle: Launch via SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
• Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon capsule will be used.
• Launch Site: Launch will take place from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
• Space travel duration: Astronauts will stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for about 14 days.

Objective of the mission:

• Various experiments will be conducted in microgravity, including biotechnology, physical science and medical research.
• It aims to establish a private space station in the future on the ISS.
• New technologies will be tested to make space travel more effective and affordable.

About Shubhanshu Shukla:

• Shubhanshu Shukla was born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• He started his service in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in June 2006.
• He got promoted to the rank of Group Captain in March 2024.
• He has flown over 2,000 hours on several aircraft like Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32.
• In 2019, he underwent astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.