Axiom Mission 4: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to launch into space on May 29. He will travel to the International Space Station, along with three other crew members, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 10.33 pm IST on May 29.
Shukla will travel to space onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. “Falcon 9 [rocket] is targeted to launch Dragon’s third human spaceflight of the year no earlier than May 29 from Florid,” SpaceX posted on X on May 1.
This mission will send the first ISRO astronaut to the International Space Station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is also one of the Gaganyaan crew members.
How long will Shubhanshu Shukla stay in space?
According to NASA, the Axiom Mission 4 crew will spend up to 14 days at the orbiting laboratory or the ISS.
What will Shubhanshu Shukla do in space?
Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax4). The other Ax-4 crew includes Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, who will command the commercial mission.
The two mission specialists are European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
These astronauts will conduct a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities.
Shukla will conduct seven experiments in space that are aimed at encouraging microgravity research in India, which hopes to build its own space station by 2035 and send astronauts to the moon by 2047.
The ISRO drew up plans to focus on India-centric food for carrying out experiments on the ISS, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram) in microgravity conditions.
“We have a sprouting experiment which tries to sprout green gram or moong and methi or fenugreek seeds, which are believed to have medicinal properties,” Tushar Phadnis, Group Head for Microgravity Platforms and Research, was quoted news agency PTI as saying at a virtual press conference organised by Axiom.
“The idea is not just to stop with sprouting it there. The idea is also to see how these India-specific sprouts behave when they come back. They will undergo a lot of analysis in the labs of the respective PIs (principal investigators),” Phadnis said.
Overall, Ax-4 has a research complement of around 60 scientific studies, including the seven from India.
Shubhanshu Shukla undergoes robust training
Shubhanshu Shukla, along with other Ax4 crew members, underwent robust training. They recently completed training in California ahead of their upcoming mission to the space station.
In a recent post on X, Axiom Space said the Ax4 crew engaged in emergency training to ensure they are prepared for anything while in orbit.
In the video, Shubhanshu Shukla could be heard saying, “What I learned the most is how to keep your senses when things are going wrong and not let it overwhelm you after a few episodes of initial exposure…”