Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla awarded Ashoka Chakra for ISS voyage
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla awarded Ashoka Chakra for ISS voyage
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla earns India's top peacetime honor for his ISS mission aboard SpaceX's Dragon.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has been conferred with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration, for his contributions to the space program through his journey and stay at the International Space Station. He recounted his space journey and being aboard the ISS, marking a historic milestone after launch by SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on June 26, 2025. He became the first Indian astronaut to set foot on the ISS, and among Indians who have gone to space, he is the second, after Rakesh Sharma, who flew four decades earlier. Sharma was also awarded the Ashoka Chakra. As a fighter pilot, Shukla has an impressive 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
