Ahead of Indian astronaut's spaceflight, ISRO chief-led delegation in US

An 18-member delegation led by Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) Chairman and Secretary Department of Space Dr V Narayanan is in the US, ahead of Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's spaceflight which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, at 5:52 am Indian time on Tuesday (June 10). The delegation is visiting various facilities of Axiom, the American firm that is facilitating Shukla's spaceflight training and space travel. The four-member crew will be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket which carries the Crew Dragon capsule.

"Directors of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre(LPSC), Human Spaceflight Centre(HSFC), and Human Spaceflight Program Office are among the 18-member delegation," Chairman Dr V Narayanan told WION.

Since 2018, ISRO has been working on its own human spaceflight programme Gaganyaan, which will be executed using an Indian rocket and spacecraft. While ISRO is a few years away from executing its own manned space mission, the experience gained from Shukla's flight would prove crucial for ISRO. In simple terms, Shukla's flight can be considered a precursor or stepping stone to Gaganyaan.

Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight atAxiomSpace, will command theAxiom-4 mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot or second-in-command. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

This mission will facilitate the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, given that each nation’s first and only government-sponsored spaceflight had taken place more than 40 years ago. The Ax-4 crew members will represent their nations in Low Earth Orbit and perform scientific experiments and demonstrations that are of high national importance.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station, and the second Indian to fly to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew on a Soviet Mission in 1984. The Indian Government has paid almost $64mn (Rs 550 crore) for Shukla's training and spaceflight as part of Axiom-4.

In a pre-launch media briefing, Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said that he is excited about all aspects of the Axiom-4 spaceflight. "As I stand at the threshold of a 14-day mission to the Space Station, I reflect on the path that has brought me here. From diverse systems to advanced platforms across continents and cultures, this training has been intense and deeply rewarding. Behind every minute in space likes months, years of preparation," he remarked. For the fortnight-long mission, I carry with me not just instruments and equipment, but the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts, he added.

Shukla will be also carrying a special gift as a tribute to India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma. "I will be carrying something for him... I haven't revealed it to him. I will hand it over to him personally," he added. Both Shukla and Sharma(now retired) are Indian Air Force test pilots. Interestingly, Shukla was born in the year 1984, when Sharma became the first and only Indian to fly to space.

Thanks to Shukla, the crew aboard the International Space Station will get a taste of Indian delicacies. Shukla said that he would be carrying sweets- carrot halwa, moong dal halwa, and mango nectar, for all the International crew members to taste.