Meet Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Who Is All Set For Mission Ax4

Axiom-4 Mission: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others will embark on Axiom Space's fourth human spaceflight from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday.

They are likely to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, June 11, at 10 pm IST, after a 28-hour journey. The mission was scheduled for June 8 but was pushed two days back last week.

India's Return to Space

Shubhanshu Shukla is set to be the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) commercial mission to the ISS and will be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson, specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary, and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland.

The mission will mark India's return to space after 41 years after Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. Now Shubhanshu will carry the legacy forward.  

Shubhanshu's Role In Space 

The Indian astronaut and pride, Shubhanshu Shukla, will conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments during his time at the ISS.

Space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems are necessary for long-duration space travel in the future and these experiments aim to prove just that.

The plans are drawn up with a focus on Indian food, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram), in microgravity conditions.

Shubhanshu will expose these seeds to macrobiotic conditions and bring them back to Earth, where they will be cultivated into plants not just once but over generations.

He will carry out a set of seven experiments lined up for him by ISRO and will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research program.

These experiments were developed with NASA's support under the mutually beneficial collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). ISRO has spent a whopping ₹550 crore for the Ax4 mission.

Shubhanshu's experience on the Axiom-4 mission would also be valuable for the Gaganyaan mission, which is planned to launch in 2027.

Astronauts In Quarantine Since May 25 

The astronauts have been in quarantine since May 25 to prepare for the space trip and have been strictly training ahead of the June 10 launch.

According to a video shared by Axiom Space, the crew underwent extensive emergency training, featuring a range of scenarios such as underwater escape drills.

Describing their year-long training for the commercial mission Shubhanshu said it was "nothing short of transformative."

He further said, "It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come. As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts."

Launch Pad in Florida Being Set Up 

Prior to the mission's launch, SpaceX rolled out the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft to the launch pad in Florida, yesterday.  

The Dragon spacecraft was integrated atop Elon Musk's SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket.

Amidst the extensive preparations, last week, ISRO chairman, V Narayanan, visited Axiom Space to examine the preparations for the spaceflight.

According to NASA, the crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 pm EDT (10 pm IST), on Wednesday, June 11.

Ax4 Crew To Meet PM Modi

 The Ax4 crew will likely interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and other space industry leaders, during their 14-day stay at the ISS.

Update Ahead of the Launch 

The Ax4 crew addressed a press conference this week to provide an update ahead of the launch where mission commander Peggy Whitson said, "We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well."

Diverse Culture Fosters Collaboration

Ahead of the launch Whitson also stated that a diverse culture allows the team to advance scientific knowledge and foster international collaboration. "Our previous missions set the stage and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity's reach among the stars," Whitson added in her statement.