In Pics: Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla, Indian Astronaut To Fly Into Space

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a distinguished officer of the Indian Air Force, is set to become one of the few Indians to visit the International Space Station (ISS), joining an elite group of Indian astronauts following the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma and others.

On his fortnight mission, Shubhanshu Shukla will travel to the orbiting International Space Laboratory. He is one of the four astronauts who will fly to space, with liftoff scheduled for June 11 as part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission. The Axiom-4 mission, in collaboration with the U.S., will launch from Kennedy Space Center.

Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shubhanshu Shukla completed his schooling from City Montessori School before joining the National Defence Academy.
Photo Credit: AFP

He has logged approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience across a wide range of aircraft.
Photo Credit: IANS

These include the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Photo Credit: ANI

He holds an M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Photo Credit: AFP

He was one of four officers selected in 2019 for ISRO's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
Photo Credit: AFP

He underwent extensive training at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre and ISRO's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
Photo Credit: AFP

With the success of the flight, Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS). He will also be the second to go to space after Rakesh Sharma flew to space station Salyut 7 in 1984.