Republic Day 2026: India's Second Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Among 70 Ashoka Chakra Awardees

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who flew to the ISS with the Ax-4 crew in June 2025, is listed among 70 recipients of the Ashoka Chakra announced on Republic Day 2026.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been named among 70 recipients of the Ashoka Chakra announced on Republic Day 2026. He flew to the International Space Station as a member of the Ax-4 mission on June 25, 2025. The crew spent 18 days aboard the ISS and returned on July 15, 2025. Shukla is described as the second Indian to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma. Reported facts: - Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer, was part of the Ax-4 mission that launched to the ISS on June 25, 2025, and returned July 15, 2025. - Shukla is listed among 70 recipients of the Ashoka Chakra, which the article describes as India's highest peacetime military award. - Rakesh Sharma was India's first cosmonaut; he flew on Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984, and received the Ashoka Chakra the same day. - Group Captain PB Nair, one of the four designated Gaganyaan astronauts, has been awarded the Kirti Chakra. - The article notes other astronauts of Indian origin, including Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chawla, Raja Chari, and Anil Menon; it reports that Kalpana Chawla died during the Columbia reentry on February 1, 2003, and that Sunita Williams retired last month after a 27-year career at NASA. Summary: The award links Shukla's spaceflight to the earlier recognition given to Rakesh Sharma and places his mission among national honours announced on Republic Day. The announcement highlights a continuity of Indian participation in human spaceflight. Undetermined at this time.