July 15, 2025 18:20 IST Follow Us Shubhanshu Shukla Axiom-4 mission: Here is how much ISRO paid for his training and seat onboard SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who just returned from a space trip to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Grace spacecraft, is now looked upon as the hero for India’s upcoming space ambitions. Shukla, who is an Indian Air Force(IAF) officer, was among the very few chosen to be a part of the Axiom-4 mission – a private space mission by Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX and NASA that saw India pay a substantial ticket price to prepare its astronaut for the upcoming ISRO Gaganyaan missions. Shukla’s 20-day mission to the ISS on board SpaceX equipment tagged along a significant ticket price of approximately Rs 550 crores. This price included all costs of training Shukla for the journey and reserving his seat onboard the spacecraft, as reported by BBC. Shubhanshu Shukla, along with commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu carried out several science experiments during their stay at the ISS. With his flight to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission, Shukla becomes the second Indian to fly into space. The honour for the first Indian astronaut is held by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard the Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos space programme. ALSO READ