Axiom-4, piloted by Shubhanshu Shukla, delayed; launch June 11

Shukla is the first Indian to go to the ISS, a permanent space laboratory, that has been orbiting the Earth for the last 25 years, and is constantly manned by astronauts. He is only the second Indian to go to space, more than 40 years after Rakesh Sharma went on a Soviet mission in 1984.

“We are all very excited right now. This is a very important mission for ISRO. This will increase our exposure and confidence for our own Gaganyaan (human spaceflight) mission,” Narayanan told The Indian Express from Florida.

Shukla’s participation in the Axiom-4 mission has been facilitated by an agreement between ISRO and NASA. Axiom Space, a private US company, has been enabled by NASA to carry crewed missions to the ISS as part of the effort to encourage private sector participation in space transportation, to low-Earth orbits and the ISS. NASA allows the use of its infrastructure and training facilities for these missions.

Axiom-4 is carrying four astronauts who will spend two weeks at the ISS. Besides Shukla, there is an astronaut each from Poland and Hungary, countries that, like India, are returning to space travel after over four decades. This is the reason why the theme of the mission is ‘Realize the Return’. The fourth member, also the commander of the mission, is space travel veteran Peggy Whitson, who holds the record for spending the maximum number of days, 675, in space over multiple trips.

Shukla’s flight comes months ahead of the scheduled launch of Gaganyaan mission, which is ISRO’s maiden attempt at sending a crewed mission to the Moon. In fact, Shukla had been selected and trained for the Gaganyaan programme, along with three others. But, the Axiom-4 opportunity intervened, and Shukla got the chance to travel earlier than his colleagues.

“So far, we only had the experience of Rakesh Sharma for space travel. At that time (1984), we did not have a human spaceflight of our own, but now we do. And Shukla’s experience would be very important for that. It is a great learning opportunity,” Narayanan said.

Shukla, referred to as Shux by his crew mates, will conduct seven experiments designed by ISRO for this mission. He will participate in several other international science experiments during his stay at ISS. From the space station, he will also interact with students, academia, people from the budding Indian space industry, and dignitaries.

Hailing from Lucknow, Shukla has previously said that he would be embarking on the journey on behalf of 1.4 billion people. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, who also has the charge of Department of Space, said the entire country was looking forward to Shukla’s flight.

“While all four astronauts were trained for the country’s Gaganyaan mission, the offer for this collaboration (with Axiom) came during the Prime Minister’s visit to the Washington in 2023. What we learn during this mission will be important not only for the human spaceflight mission, but also for our planned Chandrayaan-4 and Bharatiya Antariksh Station missions,” Jitendra Singh told The Indian Express.

There are some key differences between the Axiom-4 mission and the spaceflight undertaken by Rakesh Sharma in 1984.

India now has its own human spaceflight mission in the works — the rocket has been human rated, the crew escape systems and parachutes have been tested in various conditions, the astronauts have completed their training. India’s first crewed mission is scheduled for 2027. And, the learnings from the Axiom-4 mission will feed into it.

“When Rakesh Sharma went to space in 1984, India did not even have a launch pad. The first launch pad came up in 1993 and the second in 2005. Now, we are already gearing up for our own human mission. India is now a partner and is at the forefront of research,” said Singh, adding that Shukla was the second most important person on the mission.

At the time, the country only had one launch vehicle, the now-retired SLV.

“During the current mission, the astronauts will also be docking with and undocking from the International Space Station, an experience that will be extremely important for our planned Chandrayaan-4 mission as well as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, both of which will require multiple dockings and undockings,” Singh said.

He added that India is also carrying out cutting-edge research, including several life sciences and biomedical research, that will not only help India but inform other human spaceflight missions as well.

While Rakesh Sharma’s flight was a Soviet diplomatic programme, Interkosmos, meant to help its allies with spaceflight, the current mission is a commercial one. India has paid around Rs 50 crore to cover the cost of Shukla’s training, travel and stay at the ISS.

The first mission to ISS by Axiom Space — a private company that plans to set up its own space station — took place in April 2022. The second mission was in May 2023, with the first woman commander for a commercial spaceflight. And, the third took place in January 2024.