Shubhangshu Shukla is going to space at last. If everything goes right, Shubhangshu's spacecraft is going to lift off from America's NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01. 140 crore Indians eagerly await this historic mission as this is the first time ever an Indian is going to space after four decades of Rakesh Sharma.
Mission Led by Axiom Space’s Reggie Whitson
The four-person mission is headed by ex-NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight for Axiom Space, Reggie Whitson. Aside from this, Poland's Sławoś Wojnarski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will also be staying on the International Space Station for 14 days. They will be carrying out a minimum of 60 experiments there. SpaceX's Dragon space vehicle is set to lift off with Shubangshu at 12:01 PM IST on Wednesday. The Dragon will be launched into space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on a Falcon 9 rocket. Shubangshu will reach the ISS on Thursday morning.
ISRO’s Role in Selecting Indian Astronauts for Axiom-4
Two astronauts, Subhanshu Shukla and Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, for this mission titled NASA's 'Axiom-4' were chosen at first by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Shukhanshu is from Lucknow and a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force. 39-year-old Shukhanshu was chosen as the primary astronaut. Prashant was also retained as his backup. The two had, like the other crew members, begun training for the mission in August last year.
Multiple Delays Push Final Launch Date to Wednesday
Shukhanshu's mission was initially reported to be on May 29, 2025. However, because of reasons such as weather and mechanical faults, NASA had to delay the mission multiple times. Following the alteration of the time twelve times, the mission is ultimately set to occur on Wednesday.