Axiom Space recently completed the photoshoot of its astronauts who will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in spring 2025.
Part of the crew for the Axiom mission 4 or Ax-4 is India's Shubhanshu Shukla who was first chosen as the astronaut for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission. A Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, Shukla is training in Houston for the mission with his crew mates which includes a veteran NASA astronaut. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair is also training with Shukla as a back up astronaut.
Let us take a look at each of the crew members and what their roles are for the next mission.
Peggy Whitson
A retired NASA astronaut, Peggy Whitson has accumulated 675 days in space, more than any American astronaut or female astronaut ever. She currently works as a consultant and director of human spaceflight for Axiom Space. Whitson will serve as the mission commander for Ax-4 mission and is helping train her three team members at Axiom's space facility.
She previously flew to space during the Axiom mission 2 in May 2023 and became the first female commander of a private mission.
Apart from her vast experience of living in space, she is also an expert in biology and chemistry. Her expertise has allowed her to contribute to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science.
Shubhanshu Shukla
Shukla is a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force and he will serve as the pilot of the Ax-4 mission. He was recently given lessons on how to operate the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that he will board to the ISS.
Shukla boasts 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. He was one of the four IAF officials chosen for the Gaganyaan mission. As part of the Gaganyaan mission, three astronauts will spend three days in the low-Earth orbit.
Sławosz Uznański
Uznański is from Poland and he is a member of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Astronaut Reserve Class of 2022. Also a scientist and engineer, Sławosz has made significant contributions at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) as a reliability expert and project lead.
He served as the Engineer in Charge for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), overseeing its round-the-clock operations from 2018 and 2020. Uznański is being trained as a mission specialist of the Ax-4 mission.
ALSO SEE: Axiom Space Shares More Pictures As India's Shubhanshu Shukla Trains For ISS Mission
Tibor Kapu
Tibor Kapu will also be a mission specialist for Ax-4. A mechanical engineer from Hungary, he has contributed to the pharmaceutical and logistical industries, and worked on hybrid car battery development in the automotive industry.
He has also lent his expertise on space radiation protection at an aerospace technology company.
Kapu is also an adventurer who has successfully completed 38 skydives and 21 half marathons as a runner.
ALSO SEE: Indian Astronauts Take Tour Of Axiom Space Facility As ISS Mission Training Begins; Watch
(Image: Axiom Space)