Shubhanshu Shukla Set To Return: Why His Space Trip Marks A Historic Milestone for India
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to return after 18 days at the ISS, marking a milestone for India's Gaganyaan program with unique experiments benefiting global science.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is now on his return journey to Earth, marking the completion of his significant 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS). This mission is a monumental achievement for India, as Shukla becomes only the second Indian to embark on a space journey.
Shukla and three others, Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crew Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Slawosz 'Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu embarked on the space odyssey on June 25 from Florida and docked at the ISS on June 26.
Why Shubhanshu Shukla's Mission Is Historic For India
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) views Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's space trip as a crucial milestone towards its ambitious Gaganyaan programme, India's first planned crewed mission set for 2027. The term 'Gaganyaan" itself means 'sky craft" in Sanskrit, symbolising India's aspirations in human spaceflight.
During his 18 days in space, Shukla experienced 16 sunrises and sunsets daily, as the ISS orbits approximately 400 km above Earth at an impressive speed of 28,000 km per hour. This hands-on experience on the ISS is invaluable for ISRO's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, for which ISRO reportedly incurred an approximate cost of Rs 550 crore for Shukla's travel. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla himself emphasised that his missions hold 'far-reaching implications beyond science."
Indian-Origin Experiments Conducted On the ISS
'Indigenous kits, indigenous experiments, done by indigenous people, which will benefit and be used by other countries of the world," the minister stated, underscoring the groundbreaking nature of this mission. He added, 'All the experiments were never imagined to date. On India's initiative, Shubhanshu has done this for the whole world… For the first time, experiments of Indian origin have been done by an Indian person for the world."
During an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shubhanshu Shukla revealed that seven unique, Indian-designed experiments were brought by him to the ISS.
Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, has also stressed the importance of meticulously documenting all experiments and activities post-Shukla's return, as these will yield vital insights for the Gaganyaan program's development.
Scientific Contributions & Future Implications Of Shukla's Mission
A comprehensive suite of Indian scientific experiments was successfully conducted onboard the International Space Station as part of this mission, marking a significant contribution from India's research community to microgravity science. These groundbreaking experiments, designed by leading Indian institutions and coordinated by ISRO, covered diverse areas:
Ax-04 Mission Specific Experiment Areas
Investigations into the impact of microgravity and ISS radiation on edible microalgae.
Research on the sprouting of salad seeds in space and its relevance to crew nutrition.
Studies on the survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptomic analysis of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space.
The effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity.
Examination of human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.
The influence of microgravity on the growth and yield of food crop seeds.
The Ax-04 mission has provided invaluable hands-on experience in the intricacies of international crew integration, medical and psychological preparation for space travel, real-time health telemetry, experiment execution, and vital crew–ground coordination. These insights will directly inform and enhance the mission planning, safety validation, and astronaut readiness for India's first indigenous human spaceflight mission, the Gaganyaan program.
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