As India gears up to have only its second citizen in space, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission commander, who is one of the most experienced astronauts in the world, has said she is very proud of him and his home country should be too.
In an exclusive conversation with Dr Peggy Annette Whitson, who is the commander for the Axiom-4 mission, said working with Group Captain Shukla – nicknamed ‘Shux’ by his fellow astronauts – is fun because he has a great sense of humour and he is a natural leader.
Group Captain Shukla – an Indian Air Force pilot – is scheduled to pilot the Axiom-4 mission, a private astronaut mission that will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday. The mission to the International Space Station, led by private company Axiom Space, is a landmark ISRO-NASA collaboration.
Asked what she thought about Group Captain Shukla’s preparation for his maiden space flight, Ms Whitson said, “Oh, I am very proud of my pilot on this mission and I think you guys should be too. He is an amazingly talented person, obviously with his background in military aviation, He’s come in and embraced understanding all the Dragon (spacecraft) systems and he is a systems expert on everything about the Dragon – everything from the comm systems to the guidance and navigation.”
The astronaut said Group Captain Shukla is extremely knowledgeable and has been learning the experiments that he will be conducting on board the International Space Station.
“But what’s most fun about Shubhanshu, or ‘Shux’ as we call him, is that he has a fantastic sense of humour, and I really enjoy how he fits into the team. He helps and assists the other crew members as well, so he’s obviously a natural leader, and it works out phenomenally well. I’m very comfortable with the idea of flying in space with Shux,” she added.
The commander and pilot, Ms Whitson said, work together and Group Captain Shukla will activate the command and she will execute it.
To a question on how Group Captain Shukla’s experience will help India’s space ambitions, including the Gaganyaan mission, Ms Whitson said it is important to encourage industry and technology.