As Axiom-4 and Shubhanshu Shukla lift off, so does India

Indian Express

6 hours ago

Written by Ashwin Prasad
An Indian is in space for the first time in over 40 years. This is momentous for more than one reason. It marks the beginning of the era of Indian human spaceflight, with Gaganyaan planned for 2027, and eventually, the Indian Space Station in the next decade. There are ambitious missions that will add India to an elite club of space powers that currently consists of the US, China and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union).
In a sense, human spaceflight feels only like a symbolic milestone. Uncrewed space missions can do almost everything that a crewed mission can while being a lot cheaper and faster to carry out. Crewed missions like the Axiom-4 and Gaganyaan expend substantial resources, making the equipment liveable and safe for humans. Despite this, every country's space programme culminates in the honing of their abilities to take their people to space. Why? Isn't it better to save time and money and just focus on uncrewed missions instead of human spaceflight?
To answer that question, we must first stop thinking of 'space' as a single destination. A more useful framework is to think of Earth as our home, the immediate space around us as the farm that sustains it, and deep space as the great, unexplored wilderness.
The farm (Earth-Space)
The farm is the region around Earth, known as the Earth-Space, where our satellites operate. This farm sustains life in our home. It is not food which is grown here, but data. Modern life depends on this data for everything — GPS for navigation and financial transactions, satellites for weather forecasting and broadcasting, and constellations for the global internet.
The farm is not tended to by humans. Uncrewed technology like satellites and probes are able to do this job far more cheaply and safely. The potential for the data they generate is endless and priceless.
The astronauts we send to this farm through missions like the Axiom-4 and Gaganyaan are not mere passengers. They are pioneering specialists trained to survive beyond the safety of our home and skilled in performing complex tasks and experiments that require human ingenuity and dexterity. Their experience and learning inform their successors who will dare to venture out even further into the wilderness.
The wilderness (outer space)
The Moon, Mars and beyond are fundamentally different from our home and even the farm. They are full of risks and opportunities. Today's technology cannot use this region for sustenance at home. The costs of accessing the resources here are either too high, take too much time or both. With scientific advancement and technological progress, perhaps our farms can expand to these regions. Or even form a new settlement in the wilderness and go on to build another home and another farm around it. Therefore, the exploration and discovery of the wilderness is necessary to realise the long-term opportunities.
As a part of exploring this wilderness, uncrewed missions like Chandrayaan and the Mars rovers are sent first. They are the 'drones' that scout out the region. They map the terrain, identify risks, and locate resources. They go first because it is dangerous and unknown.
However, you don't build a settlement in a wilderness with scouts alone. You need pioneers. Humans are adaptable, can problem-solve in real-time (the 'Apollo 13 moment'), and make intuitive leaps that a pre-programmed rover cannot.
The counterargument, of course, is that technology itself can solve this. Why send a person when we can send a highly advanced robot controlled by a human from the safety of Earth? With AI to handle basic tasks and a human mind guiding it remotely, couldn't we achieve everything a human could?
Thanks to the tyranny of light-speed delay, any real-time control is only possible over very short distances. For the moon, there is a communication delay of more than two seconds. For complex, delicate tasks, that's crippling. The farther we venture into the wilderness, the greater this delay. For Mars, the problem becomes absolute. The delay can be as long as 40 minutes. When facing the unknowns deep in the wilderness, we realise the absolute necessity of human exploration.
Winning hearts and minds
The human element extends beyond the practical reasons. Great endeavours are powered by human emotion. The story of Shubhanshu Shukla venturing into the cosmos on behalf of his nation captures the imagination of millions. The stories provide a human face to a highly technical and challenging endeavour. They become focal points for national pride and aspiration.
This public imagination is not just a feel-good emotion. It is a strategic asset. Like India-Pakistan cricket matches, it helps societies surpass domestic squabbles. It creates a groundswell of popular support that translates into political will. If Indians are excited about Gaganyaan, our political leaders will find it easier to champion and fund the long-term vision of the Indian Space Station, crewed Chandrayaans and the missions beyond. This is a virtuous cycle that begins with a human pioneer like Shukla.
The earthly dividend
But this inspiration is not intangible. The immense challenge of keeping our pioneers alive in space has a remarkable way of improving our lives right here at home. Human spaceflight forces us to invent solutions. These solutions don't stay in the 'wilderness'. They come back home.
The algorithms developed to clarify images from deep space were adapted for MRI and CT scans. The high-powered pumps designed for rocket fuel have been miniaturised into artificial heart implants. The water filtration systems designed for the space station, where every drop must be recycled, are now deployed in remote villages and disaster zones, providing clean drinking water.
An active human space exploration creates and sustains a high-tech ecosystem of aerospace engineering, materials science, software development, and robotics. This builds national industrial capacity, creates high-value jobs, and makes the entire economy more competitive.
These immediate benefits are crucial, but the ultimate justification for India's human spaceflight programme lies in looking beyond the present decade and toward the next century.
The long game
As technological progress accelerates, the question will shift from whether humanity will travel to other planets, to who will travel and write the rules. In this future, human spacefaring capability is no longer just symbolic; it is central to Indian national power and international standing.
The nations that are physically present in the 'wilderness' will be the ones who shape the future of humanity in space. They will set the precedents for law, commerce, and ethics beyond Earth. Gaganyaan is India's entry ticket to having a seat at that table. It is a declaration that India intends to be a rule-maker, not a rule-taker.
This is an investment for future generations. Just as decisions made in the Age of Sail determined the world order for 300 years, the decisions we make in this 'Age of Space' will define the coming centuries.
The writer is research analyst, High-Tech Geopolitics Programme, Takshashila Institution