Shubhanshu Shukla receives Ashoka Chakra

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu during the 77th Republic Day parade. This recognition comes after Shukla made history as the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS) during the Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) last year. The mission, an 18-day space odyssey, was executed by US-based private firm Axiom Space in collaboration with United States — NASA, International — European Space Agency, and India — ISRO. Shukla's achievement marks a significant milestone in India's human spaceflight journey, 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight. The President also approved other gallantry awards for 70 armed forces personnel, including the Kirti Chakra for Group Captain Prasanth Nair, who was the backup pilot for the Axiom Mission-4. Both Shukla and Nair are among the four fighter pilots selected for India's first crewed spaceflight, Gaganyaan, scheduled for early 2027, which aims to launch astronauts to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission. India's long-term space ambitions include establishing the Bharatiya Antariksha Station by 2035 and sending an Indian to the Moon by 2040.