Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to lead India-US mission to International Space Station, announces ISRO

Meanwhile, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair has been selected as the backup pilot for the mission, which ISRO will carry out jointly with Axiom Space.

Bengaluru: ISRO on Friday said its Human Space Flight Centre has entered into a space flight agreement with Axiom Space Inc, USA for its Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two 'gaganyatris' as prime and backup mission pilot for this mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (prime) and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (backup).

“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,” ISRO said in a statement.

During the mission, the gaganyatris will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities.

“The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Programme and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA,” the Indian space agency said.

The space agency said the joint statement issued by ISRO and US space agency NASA in June 2023, during the official state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the USA, envisioned a joint ISRO-NASA mission to the ISS.