Before his space sojourn, our illustrious alumnus, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, underwent a rigorous training regimen across leading international space facilities. It included Axiom Space’s headquarters in Houston, NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, and SpaceX’s advanced Dragon mission simulators. The training consisted of modules on high-level spacecraft systems mastery, emergency response drills, scientific payload management, microgravity adaptation exercises, space medicine, and survival strategies.
Moreover, Shux actively participated in the NOLPS (NASA’s National Outdoor Leadership Program) implemented in the wilderness of Mexico. It was a challenging expedition designed to cultivate critical life skills like collaboration, problem-solving, decision-making, and resilience under pressure. It exemplified world-class standards of astronaut readiness, positioning our Shux as a distinguished representative of India’s emerging space leadership.
Final Countdown to Axiom-04
In the critical weeks preceding the Axiom-04 mission, the crew engaged in meticulous pre-launch routines. These included detailed technical briefings, fully integrated mission simulations, and in-depth systems familiarisation at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. Adhering to strict health protocols, the team entered a pre-flight quarantine to safeguard against illness, ensuring peak medical readiness.
The journey to the launchpad was marked by a ceremonial crew handover, a tradition where mission responsibilities are formally transferred to the operations team. By the eve of launch, every checklist had been cleared, every scenario rehearsed physically, mentally, and operationally, readying the Ax-4 crew for their voyage to the International Space Station.
Glimpses from the Training
