ISRO Astronaut Shubanshu Shukla to Receive Ashok Chakra for Space Bravery

• Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla will be awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, on Republic Day 2026.
• This marks the first time the Ashok Chakra is given for exceptional bravery in space research, not just anti-terror operations.
• Shukla became the first Indian to enter the International Space Station (ISS) via the 'Axiom-4' mission in June 2025, conducting crucial experiments for 18 days.
• He served as the Prime Mission Pilot, successfully piloting the spacecraft and docking with the ISS, performing scientific experiments in microgravity.
• Shukla is the second Indian astronaut after Rakesh Sharma (1984) to receive the Ashok Chakra and is also a Gaganyaan mission astronaut.

Why It Matters: ISRO astronaut Shubanshu Shukla receives the Ashok Chakra for pioneering bravery in space research.