President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, on Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla at the Republic Day celebrations held along Kartavya Path in New Delhi. The honour recognises Shukla’s historic achievement of becoming the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS).

Shukla made history in June last year when he flew as part of the Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), spending 18 days in space. With this mission, he became only the second Indian to travel to space, more than four decades after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soyuz-11 flight, marking India’s return to human spaceflight on the global stage.

Serving as the pilot of the Ax-4 mission, Shukla played a critical role in mission operations and the execution of advanced scientific experiments aboard the ISS. His performance during the mission drew praise from international space agencies and experts, with several of the experiments contributing to ongoing research in microgravity science and human space exploration.

A seasoned fighter pilot, Shukla has logged over 2,000 hours of flying experience across a diverse range of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 2006 and hails from Lucknow.

The Ax-4 mission was executed by US-based private firm Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), reflecting India’s growing integration into international space partnerships.

Congratulating Shukla on the honour, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his courage, composure and dedication had given a renewed momentum to India’s human spaceflight programme and inspired a new generation of aspirants.

Meanwhile, President Murmu also approved gallantry awards for 70 Armed Forces personnel on the eve of the 77th Republic Day. These include one Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakras, 13 Shaurya Chakras (including one posthumous), one Bar to the Sena Medal (Gallantry), 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry) including five posthumous awards, six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).