NDTV Exclusive: Axiom-4 Launch Delays Unusual? Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains
New Delhi:
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members to the International Space Station as part of the Axion-4 mission, was delayed again on Wednesday - for the fourth time since its original launch date of May 29. The reason this time - an oxygen leak was detected in the Falcon 9 rocket, which propels the shuttle carrying the astronauts. Earlier it was rescheduled due to unfavourable weather conditions.
But is it unusual for a spaceflight to face so many delays? And is there reason for doubt? Not at all, says renowned American astrophysicist and writer Neil deGrasse Tyson, adding that such mission as a result a complex calculations which need to be accurate. "That's why it is called rocket science - because its hard," he says light-heartedly.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Dr Tyson explained that delays are par for the course for space missions. "I wouldn't sweat it the least. I mean, ask yourself, how many things have to go right for a space mission to work? And we've all seen multiple launches. Watching a launch never gets old. We see the countdown, and then everyone says 'all systems go', and scientists (at the mission control) go 'check', 'check', 'check' - all the people who are verifying the launch capability of their little piece of that mission, before the spacecraft and rocket gets to orbit. And so, I would not fret at all over a delay."
He added that "It would have been something different, by the way, if we had never done this before. Then the delays would be kind of mysterious, you know, like what could happen if we did launch, or if we didn't, and why, but we've been to the space station countless times, and the crew dragon has been there many, many times. So, It's not at all uncharted territory."
Congratulating India for its decision to send the second Indian to Space, Dr Tyson said, "What's interesting to me is, while that (Rakesh Sharma's space flight) was kind of a one-off mission, right now, this voyage of an Indian astronaut can be seen as part of a broader context of India's reach into space and as a stepping stone, if you will, towards India having independent launches with its own astronauts as a nation going forward. And so, this has a little more significance than just a single astronaut gaining access to space. It has significance to the larger ambitions of India as a space-faring nation."
The mission - a collaboration between Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA, will be historic for India, as an Indian Astronaut, Shubhanshu Shukla, will venture into Space after 41 years - the last being cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, who went to Space aboard the Russian Soyuz T-11 spacecraft in 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.
Just like cosmonaut Ravish Malhotra was the backup crew member for Rakesh Sharma in 1984, Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the pilot for the Axiom 4 mission, has astronaut Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair as his backup pilot for the mission. Other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission include Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, and mission specialists Slawosz Uzananski-Wisniewksi from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Speaking about India's ambitious Gaganyaan mission - ISRO's first-ever human spaceflight programme, scheduled for 2027, Dr Tyson mentioned America's humble beginnings towards its space programme, shortly after the second World War.
"I think that's a point of pride for the country" that India is working on indigenous technologies for its human spaceflight mission, Dr Tyson said, adding that "What Americans occasionally forget, is that our space programme was birthed in-part from expertise from German rocket engineers after the World War Two. So, it's not clear whether we could have done all of that ourselves. Maybe eventually, but not on the timetable that we felt necessary, because remember, we were competing with the Soviet Union at the time for these kinds of achievements...so to have indigenous technologies is important. In fact more important than who you're launching into space, because you can take ownership of all of the science and technology that goes into it."
Dr Tyson also recalled India's Chandrayaan 3 mission, which successfully sent a lander and rover to the moon's south pole - a spectacular achievement. "One point that I want to make, is that when India landed on the moon, many headlines around the world said 'India becomes the 4th nation to land on the moon', but I thought to myself, that's not the real headline. The real headline was 'India becomes the first nation to land softly on the south pole of the moon'. Russia tried to get there just a few days earlier and their mission failed. Remember, it is the south pole of the moon that is the next destination for us all, because as you said, there's water at the basin of craters there...which would be needed for long-term survival and for any mission that seeks a long-term presence there...So, I think India can be very proud of these accomplishments."
The launch window for the Axiom-4 mission extends all the way till June 30, so the opportunities are plenty. Though a revised launch schedule has not been declared yet, the mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center located in Merritt Island, Florida. This location has been used to support NASA crewed space flight missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Since 2014, Elon Musk's SpaceX has leased this site to launch its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
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