A Policy Refined

When Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla takes flight aboard Axiom Mission 4 this June, he will not just be piloting a spacecraft to the International Space Station — he will be piloting India into a new era of space exploration.

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Nearly 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic journey aboard a Soviet Soyuz capsule, India finds itself returning to human spaceflight, this time through global collaboration, private enterprise, and a strategic investment in experience.

Group Captain Shukla's participation in the Ax-4 mission marks a subtle but profound shift in India's space strategy. This is not a one-off symbolic achievement, but a carefully calculated move to gain real-time experience in orbital operations, international teamwork, and microgravity experimentation. The mission may be commercially operated by Axiom Space and launched by SpaceX, but India's decision to spend Rs 5 billion on this endeavor is far from transactional. It is a statement of intent.

For years, India's space programme has earned admiration for its low-cost engineering, scientific rigour, and autonomous progress — from Chandrayaan's Moon missions to the Aditya-L1 solar observatory. Yet, the human spaceflight frontier demands more than technical ability; it requires familiarity with the psychological, biological, and logistical demands of sending humans safely to space and back. Ax-4 offers India a front-row seat to these complexities — with one of its own citizens learning, adapting, and contributing in real time.

This mission also places India squarely in the evolving landscape of commercial space diplomacy, where cooperation and credibility matter as much as capability. Quiet participation can sometimes yield powerful returns. Importantly, this mission also reflects a rare synergy between military precision and civilian ambition. Group Captain Shukla, a decorated Indian Air Force pilot, brings over 2,000 hours of flying experience to the crew.