New Delhi: Soon an Indian will fly to the International Space Station-ISS. Group Captain Shudshanshu Shukla, selected for India’s first manned space flight, will fly aboard the ISS with the help of NASA. ISRO has decided to send Shubshanshu to ISS to gain space experience. ISRO has announced to send an Indian astronaut to ISS in cooperation with NASA after the space flight agreement with Axiom Space Inc of America.
ISRO has selected Shubhanshu from Uttar Pradesh as the lead astronaut for the ISS mission. Shubhanshnu will represent India in ISS. Shubhanshu will start training with other astronauts this week. Shubhanshu has recently been promoted in the Indian Air Force. An advisory board called the National Mission Assignment Board recommended Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as the chief astronaut for the ISS. Group Captain Prashant Nair has been selected as the backup mission.
Peggy Whiston of America, Szews Poznanski of Poland and Tiber Kapu of Hungary will fly to ISS with Shabhanshu. A team of 4 astronauts will stay in the ISS and conduct various researches. ISRO said that Shubhanshu experience in ISS will be very useful for India’s upcoming human space mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this joint space mission between NASA and ISRO during his visit to America last year. Shukla Shukla, who was selected for NASA’s ISS flight, is a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
But at the age of 18, he dedicated himself to national service. Shubhanshu filled the form for admission to National Defense Academy-NDA without telling anyone at home. After 18 years, he again joined the Gaganayan campaign without telling anyone at home, says his elder sister Suchi Shukla. In 2006 Shubhanshu was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force. Shubhanshu has more than 2,000 hours of flight experience as a pilot leader. Shukla has flown aircraft like Sukhoi-30, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and AN-32.
