Ahead of Gaganyaan Mission, Indian astronaut set to go to International Space Station this year

Even as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) works on the Gaganyaan Mission, the nation is set to return to space this year.

In partnership with a US space company, an Indian astronaut will go to the International Space Station (ISS) this year. The flight to the ISS is tentatively scheduled for no earlier than October.

The astronaut will go to the ISS as per an agreement signed between the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO and Axiom Space, an American private company into the domain of spacefaring and space infrastructure. The mission, Axiom-4, is affiliated with the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

India names astronaut for ISS flight

India has named Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as the astronaut who will go to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission, according to CNN-News 18.

Shukla will be the second Indian to go to space. So far, Wing Commander (Retired) Rakesh Sharma is the only Indian to go to space.

In 1984, he went to space as part of a collaboration between India and the Soviet Union and spent eight days in the Soviet space station. In a famous exchange, when the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked how India looked from the space, Sharma replied: “Saare jahaan se achha (The most beautiful in the world).”

Now, in 2024, Shukla will mark the new age of spacefaring for India. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair will be the back-up astronaut for the mission.

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Earlier this year, India had announced Shukla and three others as ‘astronaut-designates’ for Mission Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission.

#Gaganyaan

PM Modi bestowed 'astronaut-wings' to four astronaut-designates for #GaganyaanMission, India's first human spaceflight mission scheduled for 2025:

Group Captain PB Nair
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Group Captain Angad Pratap
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla

📸: PIB pic.twitter.com/mI3zikPQPD

— Madhur Sharma (@madhur_mrt) February 27, 2024

Shukla and others for the mission will be finally approved to fly to the ISS by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel. The training will start this week.

“During the mission, the Gaganyatri will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities. The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Program and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA,” said ISRO in a statement to CNN-News 18.

What is Axiom-4 space mission?

Axiom-4 (Ax-4) is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. The US company is Axiom Space is running the mission.

The contract for the Ax-4 mission was signed between the NASA and Axiom Space in 2023. The mission is tentatively scheduled for no earlier than October.

The mission is part of the US efforts to cultivate and sustain a private spacefaring and space infrastructure ecosystem that leads to a sustained American presence in space. As the world witnesses a new space age, the India-US collaboration is also increasing.

At the time the contract was announced, the NASA had said that the astronauts for the mission will train with NASA, international partners, and SpaceX for their flight. Axiom has contracted SpaceX as launch provider for transportation to and from the ISS and to familiarise the astronauts with systems, procedures, and emergency preparedness for the spacecraft. It was said at the time that Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX, which can carry seven people, will be used in the mission.