Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla made history by becoming the second Indian to travel to space and the first to make it to the International Space Station (ISS). However, despite making history, Shukla reportedly won’t be receiving any monetary benefits, aka salary, for this mission.
Why is Shubhanshu Shukla not getting paid?
Shubhanshu Shukla’s part of Axiom-4, a privately organised flight by Axiom Space and NASA and India’s participation is entirely funded by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and the Indian government.
The Indian government has allocated Rs 548 crore for the mission, covering training, travel, stay on the ISS, and experiments. Shukla is flying as a fully sponsored guest astronaut and not as a paid employee of NASA or Axiom. While there’s no direct salary, the experience is invaluable. The 14-day mission focuses on scientific research, cutting-edge research on space nutrition and seed regeneration. This mission also marks a crucial step toward India’s own Gaganyaan mission, which is slated for 2027. Axiom-4 also marks India’s first ISS mission in over 40 years.
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