NASA Welcomes First ISRO Astronauts To The International Space Station

NASA Chief Bill Nelson congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and expressed excitement about welcoming the first ISRO astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS). This announcement follows ISRO’s selection of Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair for the mission.

In a post on social media platform X, Nelson wrote, “Congratulations, @ISRO. We look forward to welcoming the first ISRO astronaut to the International Space Station! This is a monumental step forward for U.S.-India partnership in space.”

ISRO and Axiom Space Agreement for ISS Mission

ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre has signed a space flight agreement with the U.S. company Axiom Space Inc. for its fourth mission to the ISS. The National Mission Assignment Board has selected two “gaganyatris” (space travelers): Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as the prime astronaut and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair as the backup astronaut.

According to an official release, “The assigned crewmembers will be finally approved to fly to the International Space Station by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP). The recommended gaganyatris will commence their training for the mission from the first week of August 2024.”

The Axiom-4 mission will be launched by a SpaceX rocket and will include astronauts from Poland, Hungary, and the United States, alongside Shukla.

Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla?

Shubhanshu Shukla was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, 1985. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned on June 17, 2006, in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

He is a Fighter Combat Leader and a test pilot with approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience on aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.

This mission marks a historic moment as Shukla becomes the first Indian in space in 40 years. The only Indian to have traveled to space before him is Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who participated in an Indo-Soviet mission in 1984.

The announcement comes over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated during an official U.S. visit that an Indian astronaut would travel to the ISS as part of a U.S. mission.

This mission represents a significant milestone in India’s space journey and strengthens the collaboration between the U.S. and India in space exploration.