New Delhi: ISRO Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla who is completing medical and readaption procedures after returning from the International Space Station (ISS) on the Axiom 4 SpaceX Dragon, has revealed on X that he is an avid astrophotographer, sharing images of the Orion Nebula captured from his rooftop in Bengaluru. The images reveal increasing levels of zoom into the stellar nursery, with the Horsehead Nebula occupying the centre of the frame. The images were captured after the first batch of four Gaganyatris returned from their intensive training at Star City in Russia, which is when Shukla started astrophotography.
The photographs clicked on the station take some time to received, verified and cleared because of the multiple space agencies involved. While I wait for them I wanted to share an astrophotography story.
I started into astrophotography upon returning to India after my first leg… pic.twitter.com/SF6DMoiPHT
— Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan_shux) July 24, 2025
Shukla started his account on X after returning from the orbital complex, and has hinted of additional images to follow from his time on the ISS. Shukla would spend free time in the Cupola, an element of the ISS that offers panoramic views of the Earth and space. As multiple space agencies were involved in the mission, the images captured by Shukla are taking time to be received, verified and cleared. Before embarking on the journey, Shukla had promised to carefully document all the aspects of living and working on board the ISS, with more of these images expected to be shared in the days ahead. Shukla has also captured videos of microgravity science experiments, that are expected to be used by ISRO in their outreach activities.
Axiom 4 mission to benefit ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme
ISRO has embarked on the ambitious Gaganyaan programme to lift humans to Earth orbit using domestic hardware. The first-hand experience gained by the Axiom 4 mission will help ISRO iron out any kinks in the procedures, and fill any gaps for the eight Gaganyaan missions, two of which will see orbital crewed flights. ISRO has already started the lengthy launch campaign towards the first Gaganyaan mission, which will be an uncrewed flight with an unpressurised crew module. At present, ISRO is aiming to launch the first Gaganyaan mission in Q4, 2025 and the first crewed flight in 2027.