Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is launching to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 10. He will liftoff with three others at 5:52 pm IST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the mission that will last two weeks. Serving as the pilot for Axiom Space‘s fourth private mission Ax-4, Shukla will become the first Indian to step inside the space station.
Representing India, meet #Ax4 Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla. @isro pic.twitter.com/3NkwIP3ER7
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) June 8, 2025
Ahead of the highly anticipated mission, Axiom Space released an introductory video featuring Shukla who brings vast experience as a fighter pilot. In the video, Shukla reflects on his journey which started with the IAF, where he has over 15 years of experience. He was selected as one of the four astronauts for ISRO’s Gaganyaan program in 2020.
“This journey that I’m on, it has been a long one for me. Started out somewhere, I didn’t know that this is the path it is going to finally take,” he says in the video. “A week before we arrived at Axiom was the time I came to know that I’ll be going [to space].” He travelled to the US along with his Gaganyaan crewmate Prasanth B. Nair who trained as a backup astronaut.
The Ax-4 crew and SpaceX teams completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/MEhuTdeuDf
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 8, 2025
Shukla’s teammates seem impressed by his technological knowledge and expertise. Mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary says, “The knowledge that he possesses, he could be 130 years old.”
Mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson says having Shukla as the Ax-4 pilot “is great.”
🚀 ISRO-NASA Mission to ISS 🇮🇳🇺🇸
India heads to the International Space Station!
Join the YouTube LIVE on June 10, 3:45 PM IST — liftoff at 5:52 PM!
📺 Watch here:https://t.co/2uFZNEzyax#BharatToISS #FutureOfScience #STEMInSpace #IndiaTowardsGaganyaan #DeshKiUdaan…
— ISRO (@isro) June 9, 2025
“He already has that operational savvy and he’s just wicked smart when it comes to spacecraft technologies,” Whitson said. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, also a mission specialist, was amazed at Shukla’s learning ability. “He is very focussed. He will go one-two-three-four in record time. I don’t even know how he gets there so fast,” said Sławosz.
Shukla calls his team “exceptional” and says that the Ax-4 crew members will be his “friends for life.”
Talking about the purpose of Ax-4, Shukla said – “It is my sincere endeavour to inspire entire generation back home. I want to use the opportunity to ignite curiosity among kids. If my story is able to change one life, it would be a huge success for me.”
ALSO SEE: Shubhanshu Shukla To Grow Crops For ISRO On Space Station, Study Bacteria And More
(Image: Axiom Space)