Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
After a 41-year gap since Rakesh Sharma, Shubhanshu Shukla is about to put India back in space—with a mission not of state ceremony, but global precision and private grit.
Inspired by the Kargil War and Rakesh Sharma’s “Saare Jahan Se Achha,” Shukla mapped his route to the stars from the age of 14. That journey launches on June 10.
As the only Indian on Ax-4, Shukla will pilot a multinational mission aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9—representing India in one of the most high-stakes global tech collaborations of the decade.
With 2,000+ hours flying MiG-21s, Jaguars, and Su-30MKIs, Shukla’s cockpit experience now extends beyond Earth’s skies. From dogfights to docking maneuvers, he’s the real deal.
Known as “Shux” among peers, he blends IAF discipline with ISS tech savvy. NASA insiders call him “wicked smart”—a rare compliment in the orbit of high-stakes space ops.
Born in 1985, raised on ambition and aerospace dreams, Shukla’s story arcs from Lucknow’s schoolyards to the airfields of NDA—and now the ISS.
He trained with ISRO, Russia’s Gagarin Center, and elite agencies like NASA, ESA, and JAXA. His résumé reads like a blueprint for a 21st-century astronaut.
His wife and 5-year-old son are in Florida for the launch, a quiet, proud moment for a family watching one of their own leave Earth—literally.
Beyond science and spacewalks, Shukla’s presence on the ISS is a signal: India isn’t just watching the space race. It’s flying it.