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'Soon, someone of our own will travel to space': Shubhanshu Shukla shares experience after first ISS mission

'Soon, someone of our own will travel to space': Shubhanshu Shukla shares experience after first ISS mission

Deccan Herald6 hours ago
Addressing a press conference here, Group Captain Shukla said the first-hand experience from the ISS mission was invaluable and a lot better than any training.
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We saved lives of four astronauts by detecting oxygen leak: Isro chief
We saved lives of four astronauts by detecting oxygen leak: Isro chief

Business Standard

time2 hours ago

  • Business Standard

We saved lives of four astronauts by detecting oxygen leak: Isro chief

V Narayanan said Isro engineers' insistence on a full check forced SpaceX to fix a leaking oxygen line, failing which the Axiom-4 launch would have been catastrophic Rahul Goreja New Delhi Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman V Narayanan on Thursday said the organisation's insistence on a thorough check of an oxygen line saved the lives of four astronauts, including Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. Narayanan said SpaceX may have underestimated a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket that launched the Axiom-4 mission, and that such an oversight could have put the crew at grave risk. 'But for the complete correction, it would have ended in a catastrophic situation. We have saved the lives of four astronauts,' the Isro chief said. 'Probably, they took it lightly' Speaking at a press conference alongside Shukla, his backup Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Narayanan said it was at the insistence of Isro engineers that SpaceX examined oxidiser lines. The checks revealed a crack that could have had catastrophic consequences. 'To their (SpaceX's) surprise also, it was a crack. Finally, everything had to be corrected. Probably, they took it a little lightly,' he said. How the leak was detected Narayanan credited Isro training for detecting the fault in time. He said an eight-second test was conducted before the planned June 11 lift-off to check engine performance. 'They completed the tests and when we discussed, they did not open up the results, and only said that the committees have cleared and we are going ahead with the launch programme,' Narayanan said, as quoted by PTI. He added: 'Probably, they thought it was a minor leakage. That is what was the understanding. It was an oxygen sensor that had picked up. Based on the Isro team's insistence, a complete correction was done by the SpaceX team.' Even after the crack and other issues were fixed, Nasa announced on June 12 that it was working with Russia's Roscosmos to evaluate a leak in the Zvezda module of the International Space Station (ISS), which further delayed the launch. Crew was fully briefed Shukla said the astronauts were kept informed of the delay and the reasons behind it. 'Everybody was always aware of what was happening. Nobody was going to send the rocket out if there was a problem,' he said. 'I am ready to put my life in Dr Narayanan's hand and whenever he makes a rocket and a vehicle, I am ready to go in that. That is the kind of trust I have in him,' Shukla added. Successful completion of Axiom-4 mission The Axiom-4 mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 25 and returned with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California on July 1, making Shukla only the second Indian to travel to space.

Road in Lucknow likely to be named after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla
Road in Lucknow likely to be named after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla

Hindustan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Road in Lucknow likely to be named after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla

The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) will consider proposals to name two city roads after Group Captain astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and late scientist Ram Baksh Singh in its executive committee meeting on Friday. Shukla, who recently returned from the Axiom-4 mission as the second Indian to travel to space, and Singh, known for his contribution to biogas technology, are likely to be honoured through this move. Shubhanshu Shukla recently returned from the Axiom-4 mission as the second Indian to travel to space (Sourced) According to officials, the proposal includes naming a road stretch from Sector 8 to Rani Laxmi Bai School in Indira Nagar after Singh, while a link road in Triveni Nagar has been suggested in Shukla's honour. Chief engineer (Civil) Mahesh Chandra Verma said proposals are still being received from corporators, officials, and the mayor's office. 'We are still receiving suggestions, and the final list will depend on the committee's decision,' he said. LMC officials said around 34 proposals are expected to be taken up in the meeting. Once approved, they will be placed before the LMC house, likely to be convened in the last week of August. The meeting will also be the first since the election of six new members, taking the Executive Committee's strength to 12. Besides road naming, the agenda includes urgent matters such as patchwork and repair of roads damaged by recent rainfall, clearing sewage blockages, identifying vending zones, tackling illegal parking, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of clean drinking water, and improving garbage collection. Fixing faulty streetlights and imposing fines for delays in property mutation are also on the list. The meeting comes at a time when residents in several zones have raised complaints about deteriorating road conditions and poor civic amenities. Officials said the LMC aims to balance symbolic gestures like road naming with practical measures to address daily urban challenges.

SpaceX probably took leak in Axiom-4 rocket 'lightly': ISRO chief
SpaceX probably took leak in Axiom-4 rocket 'lightly': ISRO chief

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

SpaceX probably took leak in Axiom-4 rocket 'lightly': ISRO chief

SpaceX had probably taken "lightly" the liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket that launched the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, putting at risk the lives for four astronauts, including Shubhanshu Shukla , ISRO chairman V Narayanan said on Thursday. Narayanan said it was at the insistence of ISRO engineers that SpaceX examined the leak detected in the oxidiser lines that carry liquid oxygen to the rocket engines and discovered a crack that could have proved fatal. "If with the crack the rocket lifts off, with the vibrations, it will give way the moment it lifts off. Once it gives way, it is a catastrophic situation, nothing else," Narayanan said here. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I Lost My Passport in Rome. This $49 Device Would've Saved Me TrackIO He was addressing a press conference along with Axiom-4 astronaut Shukla and his backup for the mission Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair and Union Minister Jitendra Singh. "To their (SpaceX's) surprise also, it was a crack. Finally, everything had to be corrected. Probably, they took it a little lightly," the ISRO chief said. Live Events Naryanan said the ISRO team, which has worked on liquid oxygen powered engines for over 40 years, insisted on a complete correction, which was carried out by the SpaceX team. "But for the complete correction, it would have ended in a catastrophic situation. We have saved the lives of four astronauts," the ISRO chief said. Shukla said at every stage the four astronauts who were part of the Axiom-4 mission were briefed about the delay and the reasons for it. Narayanan credited the Indian education system and ISRO training that led to stopping a faulty rocket from taking off and ensuring the safety of the astronauts. He said before the rocket was moved for the June 11 lift-off, an eight-second test was carried out to understand the performance of the engines before giving clearance for the launch. "They completed the tests and when we discussed, they did not open up the results, and only said that the Committees have cleared and we are going ahead with the launch programme," Naryanan said. "Probably, they thought it was a minor leakage. That is what was the understanding. It was an oxygen sensor that had picked up. Based on ISRO team's insistence, a complete correction was done by the SpaceX team," he said. Shukla said the SpaceX team, the NASA team, the Axiom team and the ISRO team were very transparent to the crew and there was never any time that they did not know what was wrong and what was happening. "Everybody was always aware of what was happening. Nobody was going to send the rocket out if there was a problem," Shukla said. "I am ready to put my life in Dr. Narayanan's hand and whenever he makes a rocket and a vehicle, I am ready to go in that. That is the kind of trust I have on him," said Shukla. The crack and other issues were fixed, but on June 12 NASA announced it was working with Russian space agency Roscosmos to evaluate a leak in the Zvezda module, the Russian-built service module of the ISS that houses key life-support and docking systems. The Axiom-4 mission lifted-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on June 25 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast on July 15.

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