Title: Shubhanshu Shukla: First Indian on ISS & Implications for India's Space Program (GS 3: Science & Tech) Mission Details: Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, a commercial flight by Axiom Space, successfully docked with the ISS. Crew includes Peggy Whitson (NASA, Commander), Shukla (Pilot), and astronauts from Poland & Hungary.

• Launch & Docking: Launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center; Docked in June 2025
• Duration & Activities: 2-week mission focusing on 60 scientific experiments, including 7 designed by ISRO.
• Significance for ISRO: ISRO paid ₹5,000 Cr ($59M) for Shukla's seat & training. Aims to gain hands-on experience crucial for India's future human spaceflight program (Gaganyaan).
• India's Space Ambitions: Directly links to ISRO's goals: Human spaceflight (Gaganyaan) by 2027, an Indian Space Station by 2035, and sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
• International Collaboration: Mission involves NASA, ISRO, ESA, and SpaceX, showcasing global partnerships in space exploration.
• Historical Context: Shukla is only the second Indian in space, 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (1984, Soyuz). *