Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Will ride International Space Station (ISS) as the first one, with their flight in early May 2025. NASA made this announcement in an official public announcement. Axiom Mission 4 (AX-4), in which Shukla is a member of a private astronaut mission led by Axiom Space.
Shukla’s induction is a milestone for India’s emerging space mission as it will be the second Indian to go into space after the historic 1984 flight of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, which was four decades ago.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is ready to fly to Space Station
Shubhanshu Shukla, the captain of the Indian Air Force group, has been selected as an astronaut nominated and the mission pilot of the AX-4. His flight is historic, and his mission will be the second in the series after Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma, first and, so far, the only Indian to fly in space in early May 2025.
Shukla’s mission will be a milestone not only for him but also to venture in space for India’s discovery. He will be part of a group of international astronauts around the world, including former NASA astronaut Paigi Whitson, Mission Commander, and two other astronaut-Palland Slavosz Uznanski-Visnivski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s X -4 role paves the way for the Gaganian Mission
Shubhanshu Shukla’s work on AX-4 follows the appointment of India’s top astronauts for its new Gaganyan program. India’s first manned spaceflight program, Gaganan program, on a mission, is scheduled to send one and three astronauts into a low Earth’s orbit (Leo) that would not exceed a period of three days. Shukla’s mission on AX-4 offers him an opportunity to share immense values as one of the members of India, NASA and AXIOM Space.
This cooperation of India’s Space Agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) is a huge step towards increasing India’s capacity in human space exploration with other space agencies worldwide. The selection of Shukla for AX-4 is not only a personal achievement, but also a valuable learning experience before the Gaganyan mission.
India appointed Prasant Balakrishnan Nair as a fall-back astronaut for the AX-4 mission
So that the mission was under a fall-back plan in terms of some failure, India has also chosen the group captain Prasant Balakrishnan Nair as a fall-back astronaut for AX-4. If the worst situation occurs and Shukla is not on the board in this situation, Nair will be ready as its replacement immediately, the route to the ISS.
This standby appointment is specific in space missions, which is also an experienced astronaut on standby for purpose. The appointment of Balakrishnan Nair also shows India’s strategic thinking when it comes to space missions, then to prepare the nation for anything.
X -4 mission There is one of many NASA-Iceroo cooperation that aims to increase cooperation between two space agencies. In this cooperation, India bought a seat for one of its astronauts, which is on the next flight of Axiom Space. Cooperation indicates greater cooperation between NASA and ISRO, reflecting the commitment of the two countries together for space exploration.
Most importantly, this cooperation does not include some bilateral tariffs, which were introduced by the previous US President Donald Trump Administration. The exclusion is a will that Indo-US cooperation in space gives the highest priority on their space cooperation, indicating that space exploration is on the top agenda of both countries.
About AX-4 mission
The AX-4 fourth axiom is space-contacted commercial ISS business spaceflight. The AX-4 will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Falcon 9 will be both rockets that keep the spacecraft in the orbit and the rocket that takes astronauts to the ISS.
When the crew reaches the ISS, they have to stay there for a maximum of 14 days. They are traveling to ISS for various types of scientific studies, education outreach and commercial missions. Flight, Shushu Shukla will be important on the board and due to the first visit to ISS due to Polish and Hungarian astronauts.
AX-4 successful private astronaut for ISS follows flights
Successful private astronauts for AX-4 ISS will follow a series of flights, which is a new era of space exploration. The early private astronaut flight, Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1), was launched in April 2022, and the crew lasted up to 17 days on ISS. Launched in May 2023, AX-2 took four private astronauts to the space station for an eight-day mission.
Final private astronauts took place in flight, AX-3, January 2024 when astronauts spent 18 days on ISS. Flights open to a new route to commercial space travel, and private corporations such as Axiom Space have offered access to human space exploration despite historical government space agencies such as NASA and Russia’s Rososomos.
Also read ‘City Killer’ Asteroid 2024 YRR4 is no longer a threat to Earth, but it can hit the moon
