From Lucknow to the ISS: The Education and Life of Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla

How Lucknow’s Shubhanshu Shukla Became India’s First Astronaut to the ISS? Know about his journey.

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force is set to make history. He will be the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS). His SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch under the Axiom-4 mission at 5:52 PM on 10 June (IST) and dock with the ISS at 10 PM on 11 June. He will be joined on this mission by veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Sławosz Uznański, and Hungary’s Tibor Káposzta.

Shubhanshu Shukla Education

Shubhanshu Shukla was born on 10 October 1985 in Triveni Nagar, Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. He grew up with two older sisters. He attended City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow, where he cultivated discipline and hard work from a young age. He then enrolled in the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, earning a B.Tech degree.

He continued his education after engineering, obtaining an M.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

A Distinguished Career in the Air Force

Shubhanshu began his service in the Indian Air Force in 2006. He is an experienced fighter pilot and has flown various fighter and transport aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and AN-32. He was promoted to the rank of Group Captain in March 2024.

The Path to Becoming an Astronaut

ISRO selected Shubhanshu for astronaut training in 2019. This involved rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia, lasting approximately one year. In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented him as one of four potential astronauts for the Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human spaceflight mission scheduled for 2025.

Representing India in the Axiom-4 Mission

During the Axiom-4 mission, Shubhanshu will be known by the call sign ‘Shux’. The mission will involve a total of 60 scientific experiments, seven of which have been developed by ISRO. Shubhanshu will actively participate in five of these, which are linked to NASA’s human research program.

Family and Personal Life

Shubhanshu is affectionately called ‘Gunjan’ by his family, who still reside in Lucknow. His wife is a dentist, and they have a four-year-old son. Shubhanshu maintains a strict diet and exercise routine to keep himself fit.

Preparing to Illuminate India’s Name in Space

Shubhanshu believes this journey represents not only his own aspirations but also the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians. He plans to take items representing India’s cultural diversity into space and promote yoga there.