Axiom-4 takes India's space dreams higher
This January 16, Isro's Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) saw two unmanned spacecraft attaching with each other in space, making India only the fourth country to achieve such a feat after the US, Russia and China. SpaDex itself was part of Isro's fourth Orbital Experiment Module, which carried 24 payloads from the government's department of space and non-government entities such as academic institutions and startups. Payloads from startups were received through the National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, the nodal agency promoting space-related activities in the country. That mission allowed the scientific community to carry out various in-orbit microgravity experiments that will help the missions planned for the future.
On his 14-day Ax-4 mission, Shux will carry out seven experiments aboard the space station to study the impact of microgravity and space flight on the germination and growth of two strains of seeds, on the genetic activity of microalgae, on skeletal muscles, on computer screens' cognitive effects, and on tardigrades, the highly resilient micro animals. The momentum and range of India's space experiments—involving the government, private startups and the academia—have never looked more intense. That holds a lot of promise for a country planning to send its first human space flight under the Gaganyaan mission by 2027, set up the Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and send astronauts to the Moon by 2040. So far, India's space odyssey is on course.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Shubhanshu Shukla floats, Isro digs in at Houston to watch & learn
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla may be astronaut number 634, but he is far from the only Indian drawing value from the Axiom-4 mission. While Shukla orbits Earth aboard the International Space Station, a contingent of Isro engineers and doctors stationed in Houston is immersed in a parallel mission — one rooted not in weightlessness, but in quiet learning. For them, this is not just a spectacle; it's a field laboratory where decades of preparation for India's human spaceflight future are converging into real, tactile understanding. 'This is the first time we're seeing these operations up close—till now, it was all just documentation,' said a senior Isro official closely involved with the mission. 'For us, this hands-on exposure is valuable. Add to this the science Shux will do at ISS, and it only gets better.' Part of Isro's delegation are eight engineers, Isro doctors and one doctor from IAF's Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), which was involved in the initial screening and selection of astronauts for India's Gaganyaan . On Thursday, the team got rare observational experience spread across the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Axiom's Mission Control in Houston. These individuals aren't simply shadowing American counterparts; they're embedded observers in restricted environments where much of the true know-how of human spaceflight resides. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo For instance, on the day the Dragon capsule docked with the ISS, the Isro team was not just allowed into the JSC to watch operations unfold live. 'We were on the audio loop, listening to mission control discussions. We saw what control operations did, how many docking attempts were made, what kind of error parameters were being monitored. These are not things you'll find in any public webcast or document,' the official said. While Nasa does publish mission sequences, the real-time judgement calls, procedural fluidity, and console data are generally inaccessible to the outside world — unless, as in this case, you're a partner with boots on the ground. Isro's access will deepen further. 'They're setting up a dedicated conference room for us, where live console data will flow in,' the official said. There's more than docking being studied. With Gaganyaan planning to carry out multiple docking ops in the years ahead — and with India's future space station on the horizon — Isro engineers are keen to absorb the choreography of mission ops in real environments. 'We've done one docking so far. But a space station will require many. Watching this from inside Nasa's systems gives us critical learning that we can't replicate in India just yet.' Medical operations, too, are under the Isro lens. Two doctors from the agency are part of the Houston team and are already participating in alternate-day medical conferences with Shukla aboard the ISS. 'It's a private medical conference link—used routinely by Nasa and Axiom—and our doctors are now involved in that process. This is how they'll learn the medical rhythms of human spaceflight,' the official said. As part of India's learning curve in astronaut rehabilitation and post-flight recovery, the doctors will also observe Shukla's reconditioning phases, both immediately after his return and during follow-up weeks in the US. The team is split between Axiom's control centre and JSC's, depending on the operation. While JSC largely handles docking and mission dynamics, Axiom leads crew management, flight surgeon coordination and private astronaut interfaces. Axiom's mission centre is where people from Hungary and Poland are stationed too but because they don't have Nasa agreement like Isro does, they don't have JSC access like the Indian space agency. Shux Floats, Isro Digs In At Houston To Watch & Learn.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Letters to The Editor — June 28, 2025
Setting foot in space What an historic leap for India in space after decades (Front page, June 27). The cost of the Gaganyaan mission and the budget spent on Shubhanshu Shukla's seat on Ax-4 are not relevant if one considers the success rate of the Indian Space Research Organisation's missions. It must be viewed as an investment in advancing India's scientific progress. J.P. Reddy, Nalgonda, Telangana More importantly, the research work during the space odyssey is sure to rekindle scientific curiosity among schoolchildren. G. Ramasubramanyam, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh Tharoor versus Congress It is unfortunate that the Congress party appears to be intolerant of individual opinions within its ranks. There is a contrast between Shashi Tharoor's balanced perspective and the Congress critical stance toward the government at the Centre, which seems to be its primary agenda. Manicklal Chakraborty, Chennai Law and order I am sure that I am not making a mountain out of a molehill, but there is concern about the law and order problem in Tamil Nadu. The series of incidents that have been reported from across the State show Tamil Nadu in a bad light. The points that are being raised by the Opposition parties cannot be dismissed. The political dispensation needs to act. Mani Nataraajan, Chennai
New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Axiom-4 takes India's space dreams higher
This January 16, Isro's Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) saw two unmanned spacecraft attaching with each other in space, making India only the fourth country to achieve such a feat after the US, Russia and China. SpaDex itself was part of Isro's fourth Orbital Experiment Module, which carried 24 payloads from the government's department of space and non-government entities such as academic institutions and startups. Payloads from startups were received through the National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, the nodal agency promoting space-related activities in the country. That mission allowed the scientific community to carry out various in-orbit microgravity experiments that will help the missions planned for the future. On his 14-day Ax-4 mission, Shux will carry out seven experiments aboard the space station to study the impact of microgravity and space flight on the germination and growth of two strains of seeds, on the genetic activity of microalgae, on skeletal muscles, on computer screens' cognitive effects, and on tardigrades, the highly resilient micro animals. The momentum and range of India's space experiments—involving the government, private startups and the academia—have never looked more intense. That holds a lot of promise for a country planning to send its first human space flight under the Gaganyaan mission by 2027, set up the Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and send astronauts to the Moon by 2040. So far, India's space odyssey is on course.
