Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla recalls ‘fanboy moment’ with Artemis II crew member Christina Koch

As NASA prepares for Artemis II—the first crewed mission to travel beyond low-Earth orbit in more than five decades—Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has offered a rare perspective shaped by his experience within the US spaceflight ecosystem.

Shukla, an ISRO Gaganyatri and Indian Air Force officer, in an interview with NDTV spoke about his interactions with astronauts preparing for future missions, including Artemis II, and the mindset that defines them.

Shukla’s own journey to space came through the Axiom-4 mission in 2025, a commercial human spaceflight initiative conducted in collaboration with NASA. The mission placed him in low-Earth orbit, making him the only Indian so far to have flown as part of a NASA-linked programme.

Training without the weight of history

Recalling his year-long training stint in Houston, Shukla said the environment is highly technical and leaves little room for reflection on the scale of the mission.

“You are busy training all the time. You don’t sit down and think about how monumental something is,” he told NDTV.

He noted that astronauts rarely approach their work with a sense of historical significance during preparation. Instead, their focus remains on systems, procedures and execution.

“They are as human as you and me… they laugh at the same things and worry about the same things,” he said.

What sets astronauts apart

At the same time, Shukla pointed to an underlying quality that distinguishes astronauts from others.

“There is something very strong inside them… a real sense of purpose and courage,” he said, adding that this internal drive is critical to handling the demands of space missions.

A personal ‘fanboy moment’

Among the Artemis II crew, NASA astronaut Christina Koch made a strong impression on Shukla. Koch is set to become the first woman to travel beyond the Moon.

Shukla recalled meeting her during training in an informal setting at the astronaut gym.

“It was a fanboy moment for me,” he said, describing how he asked her for a selfie—something he noted he rarely does.

He described Koch as “already a legend”, given both her past achievements and the milestone she is set to reach with Artemis II.

A mission beyond national boundaries

The Artemis II crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, along with Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

The four-member team will travel nearly 384,000 kilometres from Earth, becoming the first humans in over 50 years to leave low-Earth orbit.

According to Shukla, missions of this scale shift the idea of representation.

“Once you leave the planet, there are no boundaries… you represent humanity,” he said.

Global attention and expectations

Shukla said the mission is already drawing global attention, with people across countries closely following developments.

“People in different parts of the world are talking about Artemis… they are talking about these four people,” he noted.

He added that while the mission involves four individuals, it carries broader symbolic weight.

“They are four individuals undertaking the journey, but in a sense, they are carrying the entire planet with them,” he said.