India paid millions of dollars to get Shubhanshu Shukla a seat on Axiom-4 space mission. A whopping...

Indian pilot and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission carries a hefty price tag. According to a report by Business Insider, the country paid space company Axiom a whopping $70 million for a seat to the International Space Station. That is nearly Rs 599 crore. The Ax-4 mission has been delayed due to bad weather and will now be launched on June 11 at 5:30 pm IST.

The report states that the private astronaut seat on the mission has a price. The other three individuals who earlier paid Axiom for their previous missions are Larry Connor, a real estate investor; Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor; and Eytan Stibbe, a former Israeli fighter pilot. However, Shubhanshu did not pay from his pocket, and his trip has been financed by ISRO.

Others joining Shukla on the trip are Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

Also Read: SpaceX delays Axiom-4 carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to June 11: Here's why

Axiom ticket cost for space mission

The cost of $70 million per seat on an Axiom mission is far more than what other space agencies, such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, charge. A person taking a trip to space with Blue Origin needs to pay $150,000 as a refundable deposit. A ticket was auctioned off for $28 million. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic tickets haven't been put on sale yet, but were earlier priced at $600,000.

The stark difference in cost is primarily because of the duration of the journey and the destination. While Blue Origin's recent trip lasted only 11 minutes, those on Axiom-4 will actually go to the International Space Station and spend two weeks there.

Axiom ticket price covers a year-long experience

CEO Tejpaul Bhatia told Business Insider that the cost is not only for a seat, but includes a yearlong program to become a trained astronaut. Axiom Space's private astronauts are trained as per NASA standards, however, not as rigorously as NASA astronauts. The rockets are not manufactured by Axiom Space, but it enters into contracts with companies like SpaceX.

Shukla's trip marks India's return to space in 41 years. Rakesh Sharma was the last Indian to fly to space aboard a Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.

Bhatia said that the private astronaut seat is open to countries, space agencies, researchers, organisations, and individuals.