This Air Force officer set to become the first Indian to visit International Space Station, rides Dragon spacecraft in US

Shukla will be joined by three other astronauts. Alongside Whitson, he will serve as mission pilot. (Image: @AstroPeggy/X)

Indian Air Force Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla is preparing for his space mission by training in the US. He aims to launch to the International Space Station in spring 2025. This mission, Axiom-4, marks a significant milestone for India.

Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private mission. This venture is in partnership with NASA and SpaceX. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now at Axiom Space, confirmed the training is progressing well. She shared her excitement on X, highlighting their recent experiences.

"Training for Ax-4 has begun and I feel at home," Whitson posted. After initial training in Houston, the crew visited SpaceX. There, they underwent suit measurements and pressurisation tests. The crew also had their first look at the Dragon spacecraft. Whitson shared a picture of the astronauts inside the four-person capsule.

Training for Ax-4 has begun and I already feel right at home. After a comprehensive onboarding process in Houston we traveled to @SpaceX in Hawthorne for suit measurements and pressurization tests. The crew also had their first introduction to Dragon! pic.twitter.com/mkdq4bNVPF
Peggy Whitson (@AstroPeggy) October 17, 2024

The Ax-4 Crew: A Diverse Team

Shukla will be joined by three other astronauts. Alongside Whitson, he will serve as mission pilot. Sławosz Uznański from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary will be mission specialists. Another Indian astronaut candidate, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, is also training. He will act as the backup in case of withdrawals.

Welcome to Axiom Space, #Ax4. Since the crews arrival in Houston in August, they have been hard at work preparing for their mission. One part of training is onboarding, which includes tours of our facilities and meetings with numerous members of #TeamAxiom who are playing a pic.twitter.com/hBhbca3cnT Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) September 8, 2024

Shukla and Nair arrived in Houston in early August. Originally, SpaceX planned to launch the crew in October. However, delays occurred due to other mission priorities.

When the mission launches, Shukla will make history. He will become the first Indian to visit the ISS. Shukla will spend up to two weeks aboard the space station. He may also conduct experiments during his stay.

The astronauts continue training in Houston. They are learning to adapt to a microgravity environment. They are also preparing for potential emergencies that may arise in space. This mission signifies a remarkable leap for India in space exploration.