India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to Become First Indian on ISS
| Key Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Historic Milestone | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station (ISS). |
| Mission | Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), organized by Axiom Space, launched via SpaceX. |
| Launch Details | Scheduled Launch: May 29, 2025, no earlier than 1:03 p.m. EDT. Launch Site: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida (USA). Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon. Duration: Up to 14 days aboard the ISS. |
| Crew Members | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India) - Pilot. Peggy Whitson (USA) - Commander, former NASA astronaut. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) - European Space Agency astronaut. Tibor Kapu (Hungary) - Payload specialist. |
| Scientific Research | ~60 scientific studies representing 31 countries. Includes 7 Indian microgravity experiments selected by ISRO: - Growth of microalgae and cyanobacteria - Muscle regeneration in space - Sprouting experiments (e.g., green gram/moong, fenugreek) - Tardigrade resilience studies - Human-computer interaction in space. Indian institutions involved: National R&D labs and top academic institutions. Focus: India-centric food research for space sustainability. |
| Importance for India | Shubhanshu Shukla becomes: - The first Indian to go to ISS. - The first Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma (1984). - Aligns with India's space ambitions including the Gaganyaan mission. - Enhances India's role in international space collaboration. |