Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4 crew last year, was conferred the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, during the 77th Republic Day celebrationson Monday.
India’s Ministry of Defence shared the big news in an official X post.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on being awarded the #AshokaChakra, the nation’s highest peacetime #gallantryaward,” read the tweet. “This prestigious honour stands as a testament to his exceptional courage, dedication and selfless service to the nation.
Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux) secretly applied for and cleared the UPSC NDA exam. It led him to completing his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the National Defence Academy in 2005. He then went to secure flying training at the Indian Air Force Academy, where he was commissioned into the fighter stream in 2006.
Down the line, he was andpicked as one of the four astronauts for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) historic Gaganyaan mission – India’s inaugural human space flight endeavour.
Instead of the Indian Air Force pilot’s honour becoming a larger-than-life moment of national pride, the development ended up sparking a serious debate on social media. A flurry of comments shared online raised questions around an astronautbeing awarded the gallantry honour instead of a military personnel fighting it out on the battlezone front lines.
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Hitting it out against Shukla on X, quite a few netizens questioned whether a trip to space warranted an honour as prestigious as the Ashoka Chakra. Despite the severe backlash targeting the now-Ashoka Chakra recipient, Shukla is not the first space hero from India to have secured the gallantry award.
And even beyond that, the whole debate about a ‘non-military person’ getting the award falls flat on itself because Shukla is, in fact, a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Online debate over Shubhanshu Shukla’s Ashoka Chakra honour
Inflammatory comments about Shukla’s Ashoka Chakra win completely flipped the conversation in a different direction altogether. “Awarding India’s Highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra to Shubhanshu Shukla for travelling to space on a Private company spaceship by purchasing a ticket is not justified,” read one such post on X.
My personal opinion isn't worth a damn, but in my personal opinion, the act of going to space, whatever be the physical hardships associated with it, does not merit an Ashok Chakra. Nor does being "mission ready" for a space mission merit a Kirti Chakra.
I am sure these are…
— Vivek (@Mallufideintent) January 25, 2026 Another tweet echoing the same sentiment said, “…the act of going to space, whatever be the physical hardships associated with it, does not merit an Ashok Chakra. Nor does being “mission ready” for a space mission merit a Kirti Chakra.
“I am sure these are meritorious acts of a high order, but you can’t reasonably expect that somebody who faces enemy fire gets the same class of medals as someone who travels to space. Back in the day when going to space itself was a pioneering event, this may have been justified, but not any more.”
Why Shubhanshu Shukla deserves the gallantry award
Those fighting over Shukla’s eligibility are anyway wrong because his Axiom Space profile itself determines, “As a combat leader and seasoned test pilot, he boasts an impressive 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.”
Upon receiving a momentous call from ISRO, Shukla ultimately served as the pilot for the historic Axiom Mission to the ISS, proving his resilience even in the face of high-stakes missions that require split-second decisions.
In addition to playing the pilot’s role, he was also actively involved in dozens of scientific experiments, including studies on plant growth, analysis of cyanobacteria and microalgae for sustainable life-support systems.
He was even linked to other experiments aimed at understanding biological resilience in space and exploring diabetes monitoring, muscle atrophy and other effects of extended exposure in microgravity. All of these findings could ultimately help India consolidate its independent stance in space expeditions.
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Ashoka Chakra eligibility guidelines
According to guidelines the Indian Government’s Ministry of Defence laid down for awarding Ashoka Chakra, the gallantry award shall be presented for “most conspicuous bravery; or some act of daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice otherwise than in the face of the enemy.”
On the occasion of Republic Day 2026, President Droupadi Murmu confers India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra, upon Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who made history as the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station. Group Captain Shukla has… pic.twitter.com/2jRraeYFja
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 26, 2026 As detailed by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), people eligible for the Ashoka Chakra include, “Officers and men and women of all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army, Militia and of any other lawfully constituted forces; Members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces.”
But that’s not all. Civilian citizens of either sex in all walks of life and members of Police Forces, including Para-Military Forces and Railway Protection Force, are also eligible for India’s highest peacetime military decoration.
Can an astronaut get the Ashoka Chakra?
As the nasty criticism emerges in relation to Ashoka Chakra in one corner of the Internet, the debate has served as a major reminder to many that gallantry awards are not merely conferred for engaging in combat.
“Exceptional courage, dedication and selfless service to the nation,” as highlighted in the government’s guidelines, can be manifested in other actions as well.
While Shukla already shares ties to the Indian Armed Forces, the official guidelines set by the government prove that an Ashoka Chakra candidate doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the military. Civilians like DK Jatar, a pilot of Air India’s Kashmir Princess, and flight attendant Neerja Bhanot have notably received the award in the past.
Even beyond that, non-Indian cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev got the award in 1984 alongside India’s Rakesh Sharma.
While space travel may no longer seem out of reach in the modern world, Shubahanshu Shukla is still just the second Indian citizen to travel to outer space after Sharma’s 1984 marvel, and the first Indian to set foot on the ISS.
Sharma, too, was conferred the Ashoka Chakra following his pioneering space adventure. However, Shukla still stands tall as the first astronaut to receive the gallantry award in question as technical jargon labels Sharma a cosmonaut. |
