Haircut Like No Other? Shubhanshu Shukla Gets Groomed in Space

Axiom-4 Mission: High above Earth, where sunrise comes every 90 minutes and the planet spins quietly below, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla just became the first Indian to get a haircut in space.  

And somehow, in the vastness of space, this simple act feels extraordinary.

On the International Space Station, floating 400 km above home, Shukla sat down for a trim just hours before undocking for his journey back. Axiom-4’s return is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon IST, but before re-entry, there was time for something profoundly human: cleaning up for the trip home.

In space, there’s no mirror on the wall, no crisp white apron, no buzzing of hair falling to the floor. Instead, astronauts use vacuum clippers that capture every strand mid-air, turning a routine haircut into an exercise in precision and practicality. Because up there, a floating hair strand isn’t just annoying; it’s a hazard to the life-support system.

Astronaut Nichole Ayers shared a photo of Shukla’s zero-gravity trim, and it captured hearts instantly. Social media couldn’t get enough of the scene, a space salon session where Earth was the backdrop, and haircuts turned into a symbol of calm and care in the middle of a historic mission. 

But it’s more than a photo-op. Before donning tight pressure suits for re-entry, a haircut is part of physical and mental readiness. It’s a reminder of normalcy in a place where nothing is normal. It’s about hygiene, confidence, and perhaps, a small celebration of returning to Earth with your best self. 

Throughout this mission, Shukla has logged over 250 orbits, countless scientific experiments, and now, a milestone of a different kind, a quiet moment of grooming in microgravity, carrying with it the weight of a billion dreams from home.

Because even when you’re circling the planet, watching cities light up and oceans shift under the sun, you carry small pieces of Earth with you, a memory of monsoon haircuts, the smell of barbershop talc, the feeling of lightness after a trim.

And whether you’re on Earth stuck in evening traffic or floating above it in silence, a fresh haircut still feels like a new beginning.

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