Indo-US mission: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as the lead astronaut for the upcoming Indo-US mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He is the youngest among ISRO’s astronaut-designates.

Here are five facts about Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla:

1. Born in Lucknow on October 10, 1985, Shukla was a Wing Commander before his recent promotion to Group Captain.
2. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on June 17, 2006.
3. He will be flying on the Axiom-4 mission using the Space-X rocket and Crew Dragon.
4. Shukla completed the Fighter Combat Leader course at the renowned Tactics and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) school and is a Test Pilot with around 2,000 hours of flying experience.
5. He has flown a variety of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, BAe Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.