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. <br> Launch Site: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida (USA). <br> Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon. <br> Duration: Up to 14 days aboard the ISS. |
| Crew Members | Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India) - Pilot. <br> Peggy Whitson (USA) - Commander, former NASA astronaut. <br> Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) - European Space Agency astronaut. <br> Tibor Kapu (Hungary) - Payload specialist. |
| Scientific Research | ~60 scientific studies representing 31 countries. Includes 7 Indian microgravity experiments selected by ISRO: <br> - Growth of microalgae and cyanobacteria <br> - Muscle regeneration in space <br> - Sprouting experiments (e.g., green gram/moong, fenugreek) <br> - Tardigrade resilience studies <br> - Human-computer interaction in space. <br> Indian institutions involved: National R&D labs and top academic institutions. <br> Focus: India-centric food research for space sustainability. |
| Importance for India | Shubhanshu Shukla becomes: <br> - The first Indian to go to ISS. <br> - The first Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma (1984). <br> - Aligns with India's space ambitions including the Gaganyaan mission. <br> - Enhances India's role in international space collaboration. |