"Stepping stone for Gaganyaan": Retd Air Commodore Ravish Malhotra on Axiom-4 mission
By Deepjoy Das
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): With Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla set to become the second Indian to travel to space, Air Commodore Ravish Malhotra (retd), who was closely associated with the 1984 Indo-Soviet space mission and trained as an astronaut, has said that the upcoming launch is a crucial milestone in the journey for India's ambitious Gaganyaan mission.
Air Commodore Ravish Malhotra, who was selected along with Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma for India's first space mission and was his backup, told ANI in an interview that Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla's journey to the International Space Station (ISS) inspires 1.4 billion Indians.
Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight mission, is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2027.
During an interview with ANI on Monday, the Retd Air Commodore affirmed confidence in Indian astronaut Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla, who is part of the four-member crew that will be travelling to the space station.
Group Captain Shukla is set to become the second Indian to travel to space and the first to visit the ISS.
Air Commodore Malhotra stated that Group Captain Shukla had to undergo rigorous training for over two years, beginning in Russia at the renowned Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.
'They have been training for almost two years now. They had their training in Russia... After that, he (Group Captain Shukla) had gone to the US and had been trained along with the other three cosmonauts (who are part of the crew),' he said.
'This is certainly a stepping stone for our own Gaganyan mission. I believe in the next year or 2027, the Gaganyan mission will take place... And both Sudhanshu Shukla and the standby astronaut, the training they got in the US, will be an additional win for our flight when it takes place,' Air Commodore (Retd) Malhotra added.
The space veteran added that Group Captain Shukla's extensive preparation has now positioned him as ready for the mission, carrying the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians. 'He had trained for a long time and was now ready to go up... We wish him Godspeed... He carries with him the inspiration for 1.4 billion Indians.'
Highlighting Group Captain Shukla's critical role in the mission, the Air Commodore explained that the Indian astronaut will serve as the co-pilot alongside the senior American astronaut, Peggy Whitson, who will be leading the mission.
'There is one senior American astronaut. He (Shukla) is the number two... He will be flying the spaceship to dock with the International Space Station and going there to carry out experiments,' he noted.
Describing the technical aspects that Group Captain Shukla will encounter during the mission, Air Commodore Malhotra said that he will be assisting Whitson with the docking of the spacecraft if anything happens to the automatic docking system.
'He is like the captain or the co-pilot. He is going to be there assisting the senior astronaut with docking (the ship)... The docking happens on an automatic basis. The whole system is automated. Should anything happen, then the pilot takes up the manual docking. So they train for that,' he added.
He emphasised that additional training for manual docking ensures the crew is prepared for any contingency.
Reflecting on the overall progress in the evolution of the space training and India's capabilities in the field over the past four decades, the Retd Air Commodore noted, 'There have been a lot of improvements in the past 40-45 odd years when we did our training... They received a whole gamut of training, and now they are ready for the launch.'
The launch of the Axiom-4 mission features astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary--each embarking on their first-ever mission to the ISS. This also marks the second government-sponsored human spaceflight in over four decades for each of these countries.
The mission is a major milestone in the Indian Space Research Organisation's collaboration with NASA through Axiom Space. The mission, which was scheduled to be launched on June 10, has been rescheduled to June 11 due to unfavourable weather conditions, as per ISRO.
Joining the mission are Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
Uznanski will be Poland's second astronaut since 1978, while Kapu will be Hungary's second since 1980.
Veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission, adding to her record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by any American. (ANI)
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