Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to pilot private spacecraft Axiom-4, do Yoga in space
New Delhi/IBNS: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the second Indian to go to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's journey on board the Soyuz T-11 in April 1984.
Shukla will be the pilot on the Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4.
The Ax-4 will go to the International Space Station (ISS) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Centre in Florida this spring, Axiom told reporters on Thursday.
Group Captain Shukla, who is serving in the Indian Air Force (IAF), has also been chosen as an astronaut for India's Gaganyaan Mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Shukla was sent for this mission to NASA by ISRO.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the private Ax-4 mission, while Group Captain Shukla will serve as a pilot, the American space agency NASA told reporters.
Meet the #Ax4 crew.
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) January 30, 2025
🇺🇸 Commander Peggy Whitson
🇮🇳 Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of #India
🇵🇱 Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of ESA/#Poland
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of #Hungary pic.twitter.com/Jjx8ERGqFf
Shukla will also do Yoga in space.
"I am really excited to go into microgravity and experience space flight on my own. The tempo for the mission has been building up each month. I think we are at a stage wherein all the pieces are kind of coming together. I'm extremely excited to see how this unfolds in the coming months and for the actual space flight as well," Group Captain Shukla said in response to a question by NDTV.
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