Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shubhanshu Shukla was inspired by the Kargil War to join the armed forces. At 16, he applied to the NDA, later becoming an IAF fighter pilot in 2006. With 2,000+ flight hours, he flew jets like Su-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk—eventually charting a path to space.