India Prepares to Send Its First Astronaut to the International Space Station

India Prepares to Send Its First Astronaut to the International Space Station

India is set to launch its first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant milestone in the country's push to join the ranks of global leaders in human spaceflight, alongside the US, Russia, and China.

Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old fighter pilot from the Indian Air Force, will be among a four-member crew traveling to the ISS on Tuesday. The mission is being carried out by the US-based company Axiom Space, using a SpaceX spacecraft.

This mission will make Shukla the third individual of Indian origin to reach space. He follows Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz in 1984, and Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-born astronaut who became a US citizen and flew on two NASA missions, including the ill-fated 2003 Columbia flight that ended in tragedy.

Speaking earlier this year to The Hindu, Shukla emphasized the symbolic importance of his journey: “Although I am going as an individual, this mission represents the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.” He also expressed hope that his mission would inspire a new generation of Indians to explore space science.

India's space department has described the mission as a “pivotal moment” in the nation's ambitious space program. In a pre-launch statement, the agency noted that the ISS journey is “more than just a flight—it represents India’s bold step into a new era of space exploration.” The country reportedly invested over $60 million in the mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also laid out an ambitious vision for India’s future in space, including plans to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040. In parallel, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is targeting 2027 for the launch of its own crewed mission, Gaganyaan, meaning “sky craft” in Hindi. Shukla is seen as a strong candidate for that mission as well.

Shukla underwent initial astronaut training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia in 2020 and later continued his preparation at ISRO's facility in Bengaluru. He has described the upcoming 14-day mission aboard Axiom Mission 4 as a valuable opportunity to gain experience that will benefit future Indian missions.

The mission will be led by Peggy Whitson, a seasoned former NASA astronaut now working with Axiom. Other crew members include European Space Agency astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

During their stay aboard the ISS, the crew will carry out 60 scientific experiments spanning microgravity, Earth observation, and research in biological, material, and life sciences.

India’s space efforts have gained remarkable traction over the past decade, achieving major milestones at relatively low cost. Most recently, in August 2023, India became the fourth country to successfully land an unmanned mission on the Moon, following Russia, the US, and China.