Qualified cheer: On Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 mission
At noon on June 25, 2025 (IST), India's Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off with three other astronauts from NASA's Florida spaceport to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission. This is the first time an Indian has gone to orbital space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984. If the Dragon crew capsule docks successfully with the ISS on June 26, Mr. Shukla will also become the first Indian onboard the ISS. Over the next two weeks, he and the ISS crew will perform a suite of experiments carried by the Axiom-4 mission, including eight from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Mr. Shukla is among the leading candidates to fly in India's maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, currently slated for 2027. For now, the Department of Space has not articulated the reasons for spending ₹548 crore to buy Mr. Shukla's seat on Axiom-4. Against the backdrop of the ₹20,200-crore budget for Gaganyaan, Mr. Shukla's paid flight to the ISS, packaged along with advanced training for him and back-up crewmate Prasanth Nair, will give India considerable insight into human space flight and how it is coordinated ahead of mounting its own astronaut expeditions, regardless of the money spent. However, this does not spare the Department of Space and ISRO from communicating the rationale and extent of these benefits, which has yet to happen.
Space flight has changed considerably between Mr. Sharma's and Mr. Shukla's flights: the stakes today are multidimensional and more demanding. Axiom is a private entity contracted with NASA and SpaceX, and which sells seats to commercial missions to the ISS. But uncertainties linger over NASA's future access to the Dragon crew capsules following Elon Musk's spat with U.S. President Donald Trump. The effects of Mr. Trump's tariffs and his willingness to honour predecessor Joe Biden's commitments to India, given the major budget cuts he has proposed for 2026, are also unclear. And the ISS is set to be decommissioned by 2030. In this world, the future of India's own space programme is caught between multiple futures. NASA and private U.S. companies, including Blue Origin, have said they would like to use Gaganyaan technologies in future missions as part of strengthening U.S.-India ties in the space sector. But even as the country balances commercial with public sector needs, it needs to remain a relevant provider of space flight services. The Indian government has signalled that it is willing to take positive steps to bolster the private sector but which, thus far, have been inadequate. Thus, once Mr. Shukla returns, ISRO's to-do list will move to the next big challenge even as public expectations of it, including transparent communication, will soar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian back in space after 41 years, Shubhanshu Shukla lifts off on Axiom-4 mission
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from NASA 's Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 pm on Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of being only the second Indian to journey to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in the 14-day trip for the Axiom mission (Ax-4), the four-member crew including NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries aboard the International Space Station (ISS).'Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride,' were the first thoughts shared by Shukla from the Dragon space capsule. He will serve as the pilot on the Shukla said his journey is not the beginning of India's journey to the ISS but the country's pivot to its human space Ax-4 mission will provide valuable operational experience for India ahead of its maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, which aims to carry a three-member crew to low-earth orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission is scheduled for 2027, followed by Bhartiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and a planned human moon landing by Minister Narendra Modi hailed Shukla and wished the mission success.'The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,' the PM wrote on along with his crew, is scheduled to dock at ISS's Harmony module in low-earth orbit at 4:30 pm India time on Thursday. The journey from launch to docking is estimated to take 28 to 29 a statement, NASA said the collaboration with ISRO enabled Ax-4 to fulfill a commitment made by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to ISS. The two leaders had made the announcement during their summit in February, seeking to broaden civil space cooperation.'The space agencies are participating in five joint scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations,' the US space agency said. 'NASA and ISRO share a long-standing relationship rooted in a common vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.'The launch was delayed several times over the last one month due to issues in the electrical harness in the Crew Dragon Module, unpreparedness of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, unfavourable weather conditions, and oxygen leakage in the engine bay of the Wednesday too, engineers at SpaceX resolved a critical issue involving the uploading of real-time wind data, which is necessary to enable the Launch Escape System. Just T-minus 35 minutes before the take-off, the data upload was successfully home, space-tech startups and academia cheered Shukla's journey, hoping for a sustained human space exploration programme that can open new avenues for research and commercial space flights.'Seeing an Indian in orbit will add an 'Indian flavour' to low earth orbit for all of us here. Space will become more relatable in an intangible way,' said Srinath Ravichandran, cofounder of AgniKul body Indian Space Association (ISpA) said the success of the mission will push more companies and startups to build world-class technology in India.'India is now in the final stages of preparation for the Gaganyaan mission, with firms like Larsen & Toubro, Tata and Ananth Technologies playing a critical role alongside our vibrant startups,' said Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), Director General, Kant, former Niti Aayog CEO said Shukla's journey breathes new life into India's space ambitions and reinforces commitment to advancing its space its two-week space mission, the crew will return to Earth, making a splash down off the coast of California.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bessemer Venture Partners sees $1 trillion digital opportunity in India; eyes quick commerce, D2C boom: report
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Global venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners has projected a $1 trillion digital economy opportunity in India over the next decade, led by a convergence of commerce, content, and rising consumer a report titled 'Click, Watch, Shop: The Indian Consumer Opportunity', the firm said the upcoming wave of value creation in India's consumer internet space could be five times larger than the last decade, with much of it expected to accrue to startups building in segments such as quick commerce , direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, and mobile-first content platforms.'Because of confluence of different sets of events, like smartphone penetration, improvement in the overall income levels of the country and the fact that there is a lot of favourable policy developments, we feel that India is well poised to be a trillion-dollar economy on the tech and digital side in the coming years,' said Anant Vidur Puri, partner, Bessemer Venture venture capital firm highlighted quick commerce as a key trend reshaping the online retail ecosystem, where platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart have driven consumer adoption of rapid delivery report also signals the rise of verticalised quick commerce startups such as Snabbit, Swish, and the consumer brand front, it noted that direct-to-consumer (D2C) startups across fashion, fitness, personal care, appliances, and food, such as Blissclub, Snitch, Mokobara, The Whole Truth, and Minimalist, are catering to the growing demand for aspirational, high-quality products among India's young, digitally native report also outlined strong investor tailwinds in areas like micro-transactions, pet care brands, mobile gaming, and content platforms built for short attention with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities now embedded across consumer touchpoints, brands are leveraging technology to solve pain points at scale, it Venture Partners, which started its Indian operations in 2006, has invested in more than 80 startups in the country so far, including BigBasket, PharmEasy, Urban Company, and Livspace. Its portfolio has seen nine companies go public, including Swiggy, Indian Energy Exchange , and Bharat this year, Bessemer Venture Partners closed its second dedicated India fund at $350 million, aiming to invest in startups across AI, software-as-a-service (SaaS), fintech, digital health, consumer brands, and cybersecurity domains.
Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
BJP slams Congress on 50th Anniversary of Emergency, marks ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' with exhibition in Delhi
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975, by the then Indira Gandhi-led Congress government, the BJP government in Delhi commemorated the day as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' by inaugurating a special exhibition at Central Park in Connaught Place. The exhibition was organised by the government's Department of Art, Culture and Language, in collaboration with the Hindi Academy. It was inaugurated by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Paying tribute to those who resisted the Emergency, the CM drew a parallel between the pro-democracy movement of 1975 and India's freedom struggle. She lashed out at the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government, calling it 'cruel, dictatorial, and insensitive.' 'The 21-month period that began on June 25, 1975, saw millions jailed without cause. There was no appeal, no argument, no hearing — it was the darkest chapter in the history of Indian democracy,' she said. Taking a dig at the Congress, she remarked: 'Those who once crushed democracy now ironically roam with the Constitution in their pockets, despite having disrespected it in the past.' She recalled the sacrifices of BJP leaders and veterans like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Madan Lal Khurana, and Balraj Madhok, who were imprisoned during the Emergency. 'Their stories must be remembered by future generations,' she said. 'Such dark days will never return to this country, and the people will not tolerate any dictatorial attempt,' she said, adding that both the Centre and Delhi government remain committed to upholding the Constitution and its democratic values. She also announced a year-long series of programmes to honour the 'warriors of democracy' who fought against the Emergency. Minister of Art and Culture Kapil Mishra, whose department had curated the exhibition, said it showcases rare documents, many being displayed publicly for the first time. 'These documents expose how democracy was murdered during the Emergency,' he said. 'Overnight, the entire opposition was thrown behind bars, the courts were stripped of power, journalists were jailed, and media establishments shut down. The way India's democracy was attacked is something the country must never forget,' Mishra said. He called the exhibition 'not just a preservation of history, but a reminder of how democracy was defended through struggle and sacrifice.'
