“नभस्पृशंदीप्तम्” or “Touch the Sky with Glory”
is not only now the motto but a philosophy through which the entire India is
correlating today and feels associated. Accurately,after 41 years, India is
celebrating the crowning moment as the group captain of the Indian Air Force,
Shubhanshu Shukla, entered the International Space Station (ISS). After the
Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force in 1984, Mr Shukla became
the second Indian to be en route to travel to space. This article unfolds the
significant aspects of the Axiom-4 mission, followed by its significance in the
context of India's own human space mission.
A brief overview of the Axiom-4 mission
Axiom-4 mission is an international, commercial and 4th private space mission through which four astronauts have been sent to the ISS. This mission is organised by a Houston-based space infrastructure developer organisation, Axiom Space. This 14-day mission has launched from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, in the United States through SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule by incorporating the Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft Dragon crew capsule, accompanied by Mr Shukla along with three other astronauts, successfully docked to the ISS.
The details of the four crew members
● The group captain,
Subhanshu Shukla from India, was assigned the designated role of pilot.
● The commander Peggy Whitson from
the United States of America.
● Mission specialist SławoszUznański-Wiśniewski from Poland.
● Another mission
specialist,TiborKapu, is from Hungary.
Who is Mr Subhanshu Shukla?
The group captain of the Indian Air Force, Mr. Shubhanshu Shukla, is a highly trained pilot who was selected by Axiom Space in 2024 to serve as a pilot for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). It marks the first participation from India in a commercial space mission toward the International Space Station. This step would be more significant for both India and Mr Shukla as he was among four astronauts designated to participate the India's human space program, Gaganyaan.
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India benefits from this mission
Revival of the space legacy of India
In 1984, Rakesh Sharma took off into space on Soyuz T-11. It has been 41 years since that historic moment, Mr Shukla again holds the legacy as the second Indian to step into space. His journey can eradicate the dependency of India and the foreign agency for the space mission with private entities like SpaceX and Axiom.
Game changer for Gaganyan
The four astronauts will conduct multiple science experiments, with eight experiments associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Presently slated in 2027, a human space flight mission that is completely maiden by India will benefit from the expedition of its own astronaut. It will act as a training testbed for the Gaganyaan mission as the learning will contribute to articulating the astronaut protocols, reentry and docking procedures, microgravity laboratory handling and Indian space medicine.
Global collaboration
It underscores the increasing engagement of India in the political private international partnership in the space mission. It solidified the position of India as one of the key contenders in the context of human space expedition.
Educational and scientific objectives
Scientific research
This mission is going to deal with the microgravity experiment in materials science, physiology and biotechnology. The astronauts will also conduct the study on muscle and bone loss in low gravity. Most significantly, the biological experiments articulated by ISRO will also be a part of this mission, where the study of stress responses and DNA repair of the plants is taken into account.
Industry-related research
Ax-4 we will also work for the in-orbit Technologies like semiconductor growth and 3D printing. The demonstration of the robotic assistants and AI-supported telemedicine tools will also be considered in this regard.
Public engagement
● The astronauts will engage in a
live session with students from India, Hungary, and Poland.
● They will also talk about the
zero-gravity experiment suggested by the students.
Conclusion
Axiom Mission 4 became one of the historic leaps for the entire country of India, which not only will contribute to various scientific experiments but also play a pivotal role in India's maiden human space mission. The journey of Group Captain Mr Subhanshu Shukla marks India's space comeback and crafts the Pathfinder for Gaganyaan.