Overview

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will fly to the International Space Station next month as part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission.
• This mission will make Shukla the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS and the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma's 1984 flight aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.
• Shukla, a decorated Indian Air Force test pilot, was selected under ISRO's Human Spaceflight Programme and has been training with Axiom Space and NASA for eight months.
• The Ax-4 mission, launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aims to provide hands-on experience critical for India's indigenous Gaganyaan program and broader crewed space ambitions.
• ISRO also detailed a packed launch schedule from May to July 2025, including the PSLV-C61/EOS-09, TV-D2 crew escape demo, NISAR satellite, and LVM3-M5 missions.