> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://camp.movsta.in/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://camp.movsta.in/the-experience/yuri-gagarin-cosmonaut-training-center-gctc.md).

# Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC)

Tucked away in Moscow’s legendary Star City, the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) opens the gates to one of the most secure and storied enclaves in the world, where **cosmonauts and international astronauts prepare for humanity’s greatest journeys.**

Here, you gain the rare opportunity to meet Russian flight veterans alongside astronauts from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA, each training for their next mission aboard the International Space Station and beyond.

<figure><img src="https://3075129951-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FTH5TafYdWP3YHXFrjNGX%2Fuploads%2FNmOMR84UrNilPicMibeb%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=b84435dc-480c-4bcd-9f81-d9d49ca62ee7" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The journey continues through an extraordinary showcase of specialized spacesuits, pioneering scientific instruments, and aviation artifacts tracing humanity’s progress from the dawn of flight in 1909 to today’s cutting-edge technologies.&#x20;

Within these halls stand life-size replicas of Soyuz capsules, the Buran orbiter, TKS modules, and the iconic stations of Salyut, Mir, and the ISS, each symbolizing milestones in global space exploration.

Beyond the exhibits lie the medical observation clinic, advanced testing laboratories, and the very office once used by Yuri Gagarin himself, where the first human to orbit Earth dreamed of ventures that would change history forever.

### INDIA @ GCTC

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla piloted **Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)**, which successfully launched on **25 June 2025** aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center.

He flew with Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu for an **18-day expedition** to the International Space Station.

Shukla underwent extensive training including systems and emergency protocolsand refined his skills with altitude and hypoxia drills, including time at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow.

Our camp delegates enhanced their experience by getting their camp merchandise signed by Shux himself!

{% embed url="<https://www.instagram.com/p/DRHUruzk1OK/>" %}

His role in Ax-4 marks him as the **first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS**, and the second Indian overall to go into space. It also strengthens his position as the leading candidate for India’s future human spaceflight missions under the Gaganyaan programme.

Notably, GCTC is the same facility where Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to travel
&#x20;to space, underwent training in 1984. This historical connection underscores the
&#x20;longstanding collaboration between India and Russia in space exploration.