Gp Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla is the First Indian Astronaut to Fly to ISS in 41 Years in Axiom-4 Mission

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was the first Indian in 41 years (after Rakesh Sharma (1984)), to visit the International Space Station (ISS). He is a passenger of the SpaceX dispatch of Axiom-4 mission all out of Kennedy Space Center, USA. A 14-day expedition is set on scientific, commercial and international space cooperation. Shukla is one serious step in the direction of human spaceflight in India, leading to Gaganyan and ISRO-NASA partnership. This objective emphasizes the major role played by India in the international business sector of space and microgravity research.

Context

• The Axiom-4 mission is the Indian re-entry into manned spaceflight after four decades with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla going to the ISS with the NASA-Axiom partnership reflecting India into the human spaceflight and the global commercial low-Earth orbit space industry.

Key Points

After 41 Years, India is Back in Space:

• The first Indian to go to ISS since Rakesh Sharma (1984).
• Shubhanshu Shukla becomes a symbol of India's renewed human space program.

About Axiom-4 Mission:

• Axiom Space (US) schedule; SpaceX Crew Dragon launch vehicle.
• It was launched using a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
• Length: About 14 days in low-Earth orbit (LEO).
• Fourth 4th commercial flight to ISS (Ax-4) after Ax-1 to Ax-3.

International Crew Members

• Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA)
• Pilot:Gp Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla (India)
• Mission Specialists: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary)

Objectives:

• Carry out microgravity scientific investigations (materials science, biology, earth studies).
• Enlarge the size of space tourism and space research business models within LEO.
• Enhance international collaboration in space exploration.
• Construct space stations of the future.

Importance for India

• Shukla will be the first Indian to take part in a privately funded commercial mission to ISS.
• Provides a basis of better cooperation between ISRO and NASA, as well as India having its own Gaganyaan mission.
• This is connected to Artemis Accords training, following the visit to the US of PM Modi in 2023.
• Energizes the strategic placement of India in space relations.

About ISS (International Space Station)

• Circling around the Earth with an altitude of ~400 km above the ground; the speed is about 7.66 km/s.
• Common enterprise: NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, CSA.
• Accommodates seven permanent astronauts who are under zero gravity.
• Orbits the earth estimated 16 times a day.

Key Facts: Gp Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla:

• Commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 2006.
• Graduated at ISRO and in Russia (Yuri Gagarin Centre).
• The one who has M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering of IISc Bangalore.
• Accrued more than 2,000 aircraft flying hours with such aircrafts as Su-30 MKI and MiG-21.
• Among the four chosen to be part of India Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

Conclusion

Axiom-4 mission is a new beginning in the history of the India Space trip, as the flight of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS meant the readiness of the country concerning human spaceflight. The mission will also be setting a pace toward achieving India as a self-reliant, global-recognized space power with ambitious projects such as Gaganyaan and collaborations with other space agencies globally as it is a scientific, diplomatic, and trade log.