US space agency Nasa will send India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), Isro said on Friday in a statement.
Isro's Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) has entered into a Space Flight Agreement (SFA) with US-based Axiom Space for its upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS with two Indians as prime and backup mission pilots.
According to the statement, Group Captain Shukla would be the primary mission pilot while another Indian Air Force official, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, would be the backup mission pilot.
The training of both officers, also known as "Gaganyaatri", will begin in the first week of August.
During the mission, the officials would undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS and also engage in space outreach activities.
Last year, four test pilots from the Air Force were selected, and their primary training was started at Isro's Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru for the Gaganyaan mission.
The Gaganyaan mission is an ambitious programme, aiming to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capability. The mission plans to launch a crew of three members into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, concluding with a safe return to Earth in Indian waters.
Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla?
Born in the historical city of Lucknow, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's journey in the Indian Air Force started about 18 years ago when he stepped into the prestigious National Defence Academy for rigorous and long military training.
According to Group Captain Shukla's elder sister, he received motivation to join the armed forces after reading the heroic tales of bravery and sacrifice of the Indian soldiers during the Kargil.
He was just 14 years old when the war broke out in Kargil in 1999 when Pakistani intruders crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and encroached on the Indian posts, his elder sister said.
