Deepak Dwivedi
INDIA marked a momentous return to human spaceflight on June 25 as Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to reach the International Space Station (ISS), 41 years after Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission.
He is part of Axiom Space’s fourth private spaceflight mission, launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The 14-day mission, which includes crew members from the US, Poland, and Hungary, has been termed as Axiom’s most science-intensive mission to date, with over 60 research experiments representing 31 countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Shukla’s space odyssey, saying he is carrying hope and aspiration of 1.4 billion Indians. “We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US,” he said in a post on X.
Growing stature
The human spaceflight programme has further elevated India’s growing stature in space exploration, following milestones like the successful Mars Orbiter Mission and the historic landing of a robotic spacecraft on the Moon’s southern polar region. It is expected to play a key role in supporting ISRO’s ambitious human spaceflight plans, including the Gaganyaan mission by 2027 and the launch of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035.
Shukla’s trip to the ISS, the first by an Indian citizen to the station, is a precedent for further Indian space trips. His participation in Axiom-4 not only marks a significant milestone in India’s space journey but also provides the country with valuable firsthand experience of living and working in space. This is something no simulator can – actual zero-g exposure, first-hand handling of live spacecraft systems, and the ability to identify minor gaps that no one on the ground may have foreseen.
Roadmap for future
ISRO scientists view it as a crucial stepping stone for Gaganyaan, India’s first indigenous human spaceflight programme scheduled for 2027. After thousands of tests across multiple centres, the space agency has announced that it is ready to launch the first of its three un-crewed orbital flights for Gaganyaan later in 2025. The successful launch of Gaganyaan will make India the fourth nation to independently send humans to space.
For ISRO this mission lays the groundwork for India’s space roadmap for future. India plans to land an Indian on the moon by 2040. The ISS, set to retire by 2030, is likely to receive around eight more trips from 2026.
If India has to do some inexpensive experiments at the ISS, its best option is to bargain for more rides among the eight left. However, this may be challenging, as the selection and training of astronauts for each trip typically take around two years or more.
