Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission start of India's human space journey, say industry leaders
Policymakers and industry leaders on Wednesday hailed astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's sojourn to the
International Space Station
(ISS) as the beginning of a long-term endeavour of sustained human space exploration for India.
Group Captain Shukla and three other astronauts on Wednesday embarked on a journey to the ISS onboard the Dragon spacecraft that was placed in an orbit around the Earth by the Falcon-9 rocket of SpaceX.
"India is no longer a follower but an equal partner. Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian member of the crew, is going to be the most crucial component of this entire mission, which is going to last about two weeks," Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh told reporters here.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
境界のないゲームを発見する
BuzzDaily Winners
ゲームをプレイ
Undo
"India is now in the final stages of preparation for the
Gaganyaan mission
, with firms like Larsen & Toubro, Tata and Ananth Technologies playing a critical role alongside our vibrant startups," Anil Kumar Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association, said.
"If all goes as planned, we are just one or two years away from realising the dream of sending Indian astronauts to space on an entirely indigenous platform," said Bhatt.
Live Events
"Proud to see India's space voyage reach new heights with Group Captain Shukla's historic journey to ISS. Indeed a significant milestone for India's space ambitions," Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre, said.
Renowned astrophysicist and vice chancellor, Ashoka University, Somak Raychaudhury said the
Axiom-4 mission
signifies India's re-entry into
human spaceflight
, but this time marking the beginning of a long-term endeavour of sustained human space exploration, underscoring a renewed national commitment and capability in this demanding domain.
"It also sets the stage for upcoming milestones: the Gaganyaan mission in 2027, an Indian space station by 2035 and a planned human Moon landing by 2040," Raychaudhury said.
Shukla's experience with the Axiom-4 mission is important and will bring real-life exposure which will be critical for the Gaganyaan mission as well, he said.
At the India Space Congress which got underway on Wednesday, the delegates witnessed the livestream of Axiom-4's launch.
The excitement was amplified as an Hungarian astronaut was also part of the Axiom-4 mission. Hungary is a country partner at the India Space Congress organised by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA).
"These developments signal India's steady ascent to the forefront of global space innovation," Subba Rao Pavuluri, President of SIA-India said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Mexico's president threatens to sue SpaceX over debris from rocket explosions
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday threatened legal action over debris and contamination from Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launches near the US-Mexico border. 'There is indeed contamination,' Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference, news agency AFP reported, adding that Mexico was reviewing 'which international laws were being violated in order to file the necessary lawsuits'. Last week, a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a ground test at the company's Starbase site in south Texas, near the border. The fireball was the latest blow to Musk's Mars ambitions, as per a report by AFP. Mexican officials are conducting a 'comprehensive review' of the rocket launches' environmental impact on Tamaulipas, the neighbouring Mexican state. Despite conservation group concerns, the US Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship launches from five to 25 in May, saying the expansion would not harm the environment, the AFP report added. A lawsuit over SpaceX would add to Mexico's recent disputes with US tech giants. In May, Sheinbaum's government said it sued Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America' on Google Maps in the US, citing an executive order by Donald Trump.
Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Dragon with Shukla, 3 others to dock with ISS at 4.30 pm today
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla embarked on the most consequential flight of his life Wednesday, taking off, along with three others, in the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. This makes him only the second Indian to travel to space. A fighter pilot and test pilot with the Indian Air Force, with more than 2,000 hours of flying experience, Shukla is the designated pilot for the Crew Dragon spacecraft that took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida exactly at noon India time. After a 28-hour journey through space, the Dragon spacecraft will dock with the International Space Station around 4.30 pm India time Thursday, allowing the four astronauts to transfer to the only permanent research laboratory in space where they will spend the next two weeks, carrying out scientific experiments and engaging in science outreach events. Shukla's feat comes 41 years after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma — he later retired as Wing Commander — travelled to space on the then Soviet Union's Soyuz T-11 spacecraft and spent about eight days on board the Salyut 7 space station, one of the Soviet forerunners to the current International Space Station. Two other astronauts on the Axiom-4 mission, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, are also marking the return of their respective countries to space after more than four decades. For this reason, the mission has been given the theme 'Realize the Return'. The fourth astronaut, and commander of the mission, Peggy Whitson is a veteran of space travel, having made four earlier trips, with a record 675 days in space. 'What a ride. After 40 years, we are back in space. What a flight this is,' said Shukla in a short statement, 10 minutes after the launch, immediately after the spacecraft had separated from the rocket and entered an orbit around the Earth. 'Right now, we are going around the Earth at the speed of 7.5 km a second. On my shoulders is the Tiranga (Tricolour) that is telling me that I am not alone here, all of you are with me. This journey to the International Space Station is not my alone, this is the beginning of Bharat's human spaceflight programme,' Shukla said, addressing his countrymen in Hindi. 'I would like each one of you to become a part of this journey. You should also feel proud, you should also feel the excitement. Come, let us together mark the beginning of India's human spaceflight programme. Thank you. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,' he said. Other astronauts also made similar statements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X after the liftoff, said, 'We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. The Indian Astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!' The Axiom-4 mission, originally scheduled to launch in May, faced multiple delays because of weather and technical problems. A small uncertainty hung over the launch Wednesday as well, even after the astronauts had entered the capsule, as some updated data took time to get uploaded to the spacecraft's software. Shukla was seen shuffling and shaking his legs as he waited, and exulted mildly when the all-clear was announced. ISRO chairman V Narayanan who, along with a ISRO team, had been in the US since the start of this month for the launch, said he was extremely happy that the mission had finally launched after all technical problems had been addressed. 'Today, we were 100% sure about the safety of not just our own astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, but the other three brothers and sister who are going to space with him. Congratulations to all,' Narayanan told The Indian Express from the US. He said that he personally, and the team from ISRO, had been involved in the troubleshooting exercises, and had made sure that everything was fine ahead of the launch. 'If I had even 0.1% doubt, I would not have said OK to the launch,' he said. Narayanan said the spacecraft had entered a 200-km orbit, which will be raised to about 425 km over the 28-hour period before the docking takes place. The ISRO team would be travelling from the Florida launch centre to Houston, Texas to witness the docking from the command centre. Shukla was among four IAF pilots selected for the Gaganyaan programme, ISRO's maiden attempt at sending humans into space. The first human spaceflight mission under this programme was originally scheduled for 2022 to coincide with 75 years of India's independence. But the programme has faced delays, and it is now expected to take place in 2027. In the meanwhile, a new collaboration between ISRO and NASA in 2023 opened the opportunity for an Indian to travel on a private mission facilitated by NASA. This is how Shukla's participation in the Axiom-4 mission came about. The liftoff was greeted with loud cheers and clapping at the auditorium of the CSIR headquarters in New Delhi where Science Minister Jitendra Singh and many scientists and dignitaries, including Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green, had gathered to watch the launch on video. 'This was destined to happen under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. And I am saying so because the space reforms which happened a couple of years ago have given a quantum leap to India's endeavours. Imagine, ISRO was set up in the year 1969, when NASA accomplished the landing of the first human on the Moon. Today, we have landed near the southern pole of the Moon before anyone else. And we are now collaborating with NASA as an equal partner. India is no longer a follower,' Singh said. The Axiom-4 mission is being operated and managed by Axiom Space, a private US space company. The Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft used in the mission have come from SpaceX, the world's largest private space corporation. NASA offered access to its facilities, including the International Space Station, and training to the astronauts. Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘A boy once nervous about math marks makes a mark in space'
Lucknow: A boy who was once nervous about his mathematics marks is now making a mark in space. That's an incredible journey of pursuit and perseverance, recalled Nageshwar Prasad Shukla, who taught mathematics to Shubhanshu from Class 9 till 12 at City Montessori School, Aliganj campus in Lucknow. "In 2002, when Shubhanshu was in Class 12, he scored low marks in the first comparative examination and did not inform his parents about it. He was totally interested in sports in those days. One evening, he returned home after playing football and saw my bike parked. He entered his house with a nervous face assuming that I was there to complain about him," recalled Nageshwar. "I was talking to his parents about his scores. He had scored low marks in some subjects, but had the lowest marks in maths. I knew he was intelligent but, like most boys, believed in working hard only at the last moment. I motivated him and promised to give him extra time," said Nageshwar. Shubhanshu promised to put in 100% efforts and came out with flying colours in his board examinations. "This is how he is; he works hard, delivers, and makes us proud," said Nageshwar who was Shubhanshu's class teacher and teacher-guardian and made frequent home visits to keep his parents updated about their son's academic performance. "For others, his space journey is a celebration, but for me, it's both a celebration and nervousness — my student should return safely. I recall that home visit when he stood nervous on seeing me at his residence, and today I stood nervous and proud as he flew to space," he added. CMS Aliganj vice-principal Lipika Bose said, "Shubhanshu was bright and focused since school days. A good footballer and with a strong personality, he always showed the spark to do something really big." Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shubhanshu did his entire schooling from CMS Aliganj. He graduated from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience on elite combat aircraft, he was selected in 2019 for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and later chosen as the pilot for Axiom-4.
