Shubhanshu Shukla Ashoka Chakra
On Republic Day 2026 President Droupadi Murmu awarded India’s highest peacetime gallantry honour, Ashoka Chakra, to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. He created history by becoming the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS).
The Ashoka Chakra is India’s highest military award given in peacetime. It honours exceptional bravery, courage, and selfless acts carried out beyond the battlefield.
In June last year, Mr. Shukla became the second Indian to have gone to space and the first to visit the ISS as part of the historic Axiom-4 mission. His 18-day space odyssey came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Russian Soyuz-11 space mission.
As a fighter pilot, Shubhanshu Shukla has an impressive record of 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla served as pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station and left an indelible mark on India’s remarkable advancements in human space exploration.
US-based private company Axiom Space executed the Axiom-4 mission. The mission involved NASA, the European Space Agency, and the ISRO, highlighting strong international cooperation in space exploration.
Additionally, Group Captain PB Nair, another astronaut for Gaganyaan mission was awarded the Kirti Chakra. It is a peacetime gallantry award equivalent of Mahavir Chakra.
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