Proud moment for India; Shubhanshu set for pilot role in Axiom 4 mission to Space Station

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The space journey of Shubhanshu Shukla is scheduled for May 29. Axiom Space announced the date yesterday through the X platform. The mission will launch at 1:03 PM (local time), which corresponds to 10:33 PM IST. Shubhanshu, along with three others, will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission.

The mission will be led by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and current Director of Human Spaceflight Missions. Shubhanshu will serve as the pilot. The other crew members include Slawosz Uznanski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

The Axiom spacecraft will be launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket from the company’s launch facility in Florida. The crew is expected to stay on the space station for two weeks before returning to Earth. This experience is seen as a significant step toward India’s Gaganyaan mission scheduled for next year. As part of that mission, astronauts will spend four days in space in a space station-like environment. Shubhanshu is one of four astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan program.