logo
How much ISRO spent on Shubhanshu Shukla for his Axion-4 mission on Dragon spacecraft?

How much ISRO spent on Shubhanshu Shukla for his Axion-4 mission on Dragon spacecraft?

Indian Express16-07-2025
Culminating a 20-day landmark space programme, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), touched down on Earth on Tuesday.
Shukla was among the four crew members on board SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on Axiom-4 mission and gathered hands-on experience of a space journey that would be help in India's first-ever human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
Shukla is among four Indian air force officers shortlisted to travel on Gaganyaan in 2027.
According to BBC, the Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spent Rs 5 billion or Rs 500 crore ($59m; £43m) on Shukla's trip on Axiom-4 — a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private company Axiom Space and a joint effort by NASA, ISRO and European Space Agency.
The expenditure by ISRO includes cost of Shukla's training for the mission as well as that of a seat on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for the 20-day trip that launched Shukla, and three others — Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary — to space.
Speaking to BBC, ISRO project director Sudeesh Balan stated that Shukla started rigourous training in August last year. His training included physical and psychological assessments to prepare for the journey.
The mission is likely to benefit ISRO in terms of relevant trainings, exposure to the facilities and the experience of conducting collaborative experiments in space.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Missile Launched From A Drone: Major Boost To India's Military Capabilities
Missile Launched From A Drone: Major Boost To India's Military Capabilities

NDTV

timean hour ago

  • NDTV

Missile Launched From A Drone: Major Boost To India's Military Capabilities

New Delhi: India has successfully test-fired a drone-launched precision-guided missile at a test range in Andhra Pradesh. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the trials of the UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in Kurnool. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, taking to social media, congratulated the DRDO and called the trials a "major boost" to India's missile capabilities. In a major boost to India's defence capabilities, @DRDO_India has successfully carried out flight trials of UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in the National Open Area Range (NOAR), test range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Congratulations to DRDO and the industry… — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 25, 2025 "In a major boost to India's defence capabilities, @DRDO_India has successfully carried out flight trials of UAV Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in the National Open Area Range (NOAR), test range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Congratulations to DRDO and the industry partners, DcPPs, MSMEs and Start-ups for the development and successful trials of the ULPGM-V3 system. This success proves that the Indian industry is now ready to absorb and produce critical Defence Technologies," the Defence Minister posted on X. Earlier, ULPGM-V2 was developed by DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), featuring multiple warhead configurations. The evolution toward UAV-launched, extended-range munitions, unveiled at Aero India 2025, includes sophisticated enhancements such as imaging infrared (IIR) seekers and dual-thrust propulsion systems, features likely present in the V3 variant. ULPGM systems are designed to be lightweight, precise, and compatible with various aerial platforms, providing strategic flexibility in combat environments. The choice of NOAR in Kurnool for the trial is consistent with DRDO's strategy of using the facility to validate cutting-edge technologies. The range has recently hosted successful trials of high-energy laser-based Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs), including systems that neutralised fixed-wing UAVs and swarm drones, demonstrating India's expanding high-tech testing infrastructure.

Prof Sulochana Gadgil, who knew the ‘how' and ‘why' of Indian monsoons, passes away at 81
Prof Sulochana Gadgil, who knew the ‘how' and ‘why' of Indian monsoons, passes away at 81

Indian Express

time2 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Prof Sulochana Gadgil, who knew the ‘how' and ‘why' of Indian monsoons, passes away at 81

Mathematician-turned-meteorologist Professor Sulochana Gadgil passed away in Bengaluru late Thursday evening following a prolonged illness. She was 81. Born in Pune in 1944, Sulochana Gadgil, the third among four daughters, completed her primary schooling and graduate studies in Pune. She is an alumnus of Ferguson College, where she met her future husband, Professor Madhav Gadgil, an acclaimed ecologist and expert on the Western Ghats. She studied Applied Mathematics at the University of Pune, around the time she was engaged to Madhav. Soon, the Gadgils bagged a scholarship to study at Harvard University. Her interest in the Indian monsoon blossomed after her PhD, following which she pursued a one-year postdoctoral degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under Professor Jules Charney. The Gadgils returned to India in 1971. Sulochana worked at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune for two years. Her resolve to understand the complexities of the Indian monsoon only grew stronger. Later, her career took deeper roots at the Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In later years, her research interest also branched to ecology and evolutionary biology. She remained one of the leading Indian scientists, renowned globally for her in-depth studies of the monsoons. Her research helped establish that the Indian summer monsoon was a seasonal migration of planetary-scale systems, and the seasonal rainfall variability was linked to the cloud systems prevailing over the equatorial Indian Ocean. She is a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. She is survived by her husband, son, daughter, and their families. Her mortal remains will be kept at the house of her son, Siddharth Gadgil, at IISc. Her last rites will be performed in the afternoon.

NASA launches TRACERS twin satellites to discover the mysterious link between solar storms and tech failures
NASA launches TRACERS twin satellites to discover the mysterious link between solar storms and tech failures

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

NASA launches TRACERS twin satellites to discover the mysterious link between solar storms and tech failures

Our daily lives have increasingly become dependent upon advanced space technology satellites like GPS, communication satellites, and weather systems. So understanding the invisible forces coming from the Sun is also important. NASA has taken a major step in this direction by launching a pair of satellites known as TRACERS, which means Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites. These twin spacecraft are on a mission to better understand one of space's most energetic and mysterious processes, which is also known as magnetic reconnection. The satellites were lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 11:13 a.m. EDT, according to NASA. This twin satellite system is set to study the constant stream of solar wind and charged particles flowing from the Sun, which interacts with Earth's magnetic shield, also known as the magnetosphere. What is magnetic reconnection When the solar wind hits this magnetic field, it can lead to magnetic reconnection, which also releases a huge amount of energy. 'As the solar wind collides with Earth's magnetic field, this interaction builds up energy that can cause the magnetic field lines to snap and explosively fling away nearby particles at high speeds. This is magnetic reconnection,' explained John Dorelli, TRACERS mission science lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. What is special about the mission? These reconnection events can cause beautiful light shows like auroras, but also cause problems for satellites, astronauts, and GPS systems. That's why TRACERS is an important mission. Over the first year alone, the mission is expected to get information on more than 3,000 such reconnection events. The twin satellites will do this while orbiting through Earth's polar cusp region, funnel-like openings in the magnetic field where the solar wind has a direct path into our atmosphere. How will the data from these satellites help the scientists The data gathered from TRACERS will help scientists improve space weather forecasting and better protect critical technology here on Earth. NASA says that once the satellites are in their sun-synchronous orbit, they'll fly in tandem, sometimes just seconds apart, to study these high-energy events in real-time. 'This is going to help us keep our way of life safe here on Earth,' said Joe Westlake, director of NASA's heliophysics division.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store