Shubhanshu Shukla awarded Ashoka Chakra for historic ISS mission

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian citizen to go into space following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, has been awarded India's highest peacetime military award, the Ashoka Chakra.

He has received the award in recognition of his contribution to space research with his journey and stay at the International Space Station (ISS), which also made him the first Indian to set foot on the ISS.

Shubhanshu Shukla's ISS achievement

Shukla made history after travelling to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on June 26, 2025, as part of the Axiom-4 mission.

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The mission made him the first Indian astronaut to reach the ISS and only the second Indian to travel to space, after Rakesh Sharma, who undertook the feat 41 years earlier.

As a fighter pilot, Shukla has an impressive record of 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier and An-32.

Gaganyaan mission astronaut gets Kirti Chakra

In addition to Shukla, Group Captain P B Nair, one of the four astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan mission, has been conferred the Kirti Chakra.

Major Arshdeep Singh of 1 Assam Rifles has also been conferred the Kirti Chakra for his actions on May 14, 2025, when he led a special patrol along the Indo-Myanmar Border that came under sudden and unprovoked fire. He assaulted the hostile position despite heavy enemy fire, neutralising multiple armed cadres, including one carrying an RPG launcher, and ensuring zero casualties to his troops.

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Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) has been awarded the Kirti Chakra for an operation on April 11, 2025, in Kishtwar district, where he closed in on terrorists under intense fire and eliminated two militants, displaying conspicuous gallantry.

The backdrop

On the eve of the Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu approved gallantry awards to 70 armed forces personnel, including six who would receive the honour posthumously.

These include one Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakra, 13 Shaurya Chakra, including one posthumous, one Bar to Sena Medal (gallantry) and 44 Sena Medals (gallantry).

(With agency inputs)