Shubhanshu Shukla awarded Ashoka Chakra

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), was on Sunday (January 25, 2026) awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.

In June last year, Mr. Shukla became the second Indian to go to space and the first one to set foot on the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission.

Mr. Shukla’s 18-day space odyssey came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984.

As a fighter pilot, Mr. 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.

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).

The Kirti Chakra award winners are Major Arshdeep Singh, Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba and Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.