Shubhanshu Shukla: First Indian to Enter International Space Station

On Thursday, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force became the first Indian to enter the International space station (ISS). This is a historic feature in the history of space exploration in India because Shukla has become part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and also set up the foundation to international space exploration as India makes its first manned spaceflight, Gaganyaan.

Context

• Axiom Mission 4 has Franck pass the first Indian astronaut into the ISS in the shape of Shubhanshu Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force. 

• This is one of the stepping blocks to what Shukla is going to do in the India Gaganyaan mission. 

• The astronauts will reside at the ISS during two weeks carrying out scientific experiments like those of ISRO.

Details:

Historic Achievement:

• The first Indian astronaut who was going to enter the ISS was Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. 

• Earlier Thursday afternoon, his spaceship, the Dragon crew capsule, docked on the ISS after several hours of orbiting the globe.

 Gaganyaan Mission and Association:

• The mission gives Shukla a vital step as he is amongst astronauts assigned to take part in the India Gaganyaan mission. 

• Gaganyaan will be India's first human space mission, anticipated to be launched in 2026.

Training and Preparations:

• Shukla and another astronaut Prasanth Nair, who is in the Ax-4 crew as a backup astronaut, have completed advanced training at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. 

• They received training as well in Russia and this is part of the experience on human spaceflight.

Time and Exercises:

• The four astronauts on board of the space ship are to spend the next fortnight at the ISS and perform scientific experiments, which includes eight experiments under ISRO, and participate in maintaining the station.

Obstacles and delays:

• The Axiom-4 mission experienced various setbacks such as bad weather and malfunctioning of the falcon 9 rocket and the ISS prior to its docking at 4. 15 pm IST.

Conclusion

The entry of Shubhanshu Shukla in ISS is the historic event in the space exploration of India. Not only does his contribution to the Axiom Mission 4 signify increasing Indian capacities in space, it is also an event which promotes the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, which as the next step in the human spaceflight ventures of India, will serve as a great milestone.