Tue Apr 29 19:15:33 UTC 2025: ## Indian Astronaut to Make History on Upcoming ISS Mission
**Bengaluru, India –** Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) in nearly four decades. He will be part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew, launching aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 29th, 2025.
The mission, scheduled to last up to 14 days, will include approximately 60 scientific studies from 31 countries, including India. ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has selected seven Indian experiments for the mission, focusing on areas such as microalgae growth, muscle regeneration, and the study of food crops like mung beans and fenugreek in microgravity. This research aims to explore the potential of space-grown food for future missions.
Group Captain Shukla, also a Gaganyaan mission designee, will join former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (mission commander), and European Space Agency astronauts Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). The Ax-4 mission marks a significant milestone for India’s space program and underscores its growing collaboration in international space research.
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