NEW DELHI: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been approved for the Ashok Chakra by President Droupadi Murmu on the eve of the 77th Republic Day, becoming the recipient of India’s highest peacetime gallantry award for his role in India’s return to human spaceflight through the International Space Station (ISS) mission last year.
Gp Capt Shukla became the first Indian to visit the ISS during the Axiom-4 mission, completing an 18-day stay in orbit. The mission marked India’s return to human spaceflight after more than four decades, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic spaceflight aboard the Soviet Soyuz mission in 1984.
With this, Gp Capt Shukla becomes only the second Indian citizen to travel to space and the first to reach the ISS. The award also follows a rare historical precedent where Wg Cdr Sharma was similarly conferred the Ashok Chakra after becoming the first Indian in space.
Beyond the Ashok Chakra, President Murmu has approved a total of 70 gallantry awards for Armed Forces personnel this year, including three Kirti Chakra and 13 Shaurya Chakra, with six of the honours being awarded posthumously.
Two women officers of the Indian Navy -- Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A -- were honoured with the Shaurya Chakra award, months after they made history by completing an extraordinary expedition to circumnavigate the globe, covering 21,600 nautical miles (approx 40,000 km) over an eight-month period onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini.
Within the IAF, Gp Capt Shukla is regarded as a highly experienced fighter and test pilot. He has logged over 2,000 flying hours across a wide range of aircraft, including frontline fighters and trainer platforms such as the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk, as well as Dornier and An-32 transport aircraft.
His mission experience is seen as significant for India’s broader space ambitions. India is targeting its first indigenous human spaceflight mission under the Gaganyaan programme in 2027, with plans for an Indian space station by 2035 and a crewed Moon mission by 2040.
He is part of a group of IAF officers associated with India’s human spaceflight efforts, which also includes Gp Capt Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Gp Capt Ajit Krishnan, and Gp Capt Angad Pratap. Among them, Gp Capt Prashanth Nair has been awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second-highest peacetime gallantry award, this year.
The other Kirti Chakra recipients are Major Arshdeep Singh of the Armoured Corps, attached to 1 Assam Rifles, and Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba of 2 Para (Special Forces).
The defence ministry on Sunday said the list also includes 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).