Axiom-4 boost for Isro's manned spaceflight plans

Hindustan Times

a day ago

The recent Axiom-4 mission, featuring group captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force as pilot, is far more than a symbolic gesture for India. It represents an important and strategic stepping stone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)'s ambitious Gaganyaan manned spaceflight programme. It is also a firm indication that India is now ready to move onto a more mature space programme. the Axiom-4 mission strengthens international collaboration and knowledge transfer for the Indian community, elevating India's standing as a serious and capable player in the exclusive club of human spacefaring nations. (ANI Video Grab)
The Axiom-4 mission allows Isro to bridge the gap between extensive ground-based training and invaluable real-world experience, which is critical to the plans to send Indian gaganyatris into orbit.
Over the last few decades, Isro has emerged as a global leader in cost-effective satellite launches and interplanetary missions, from the iconic Chandrayaan series to the Mars Orbiter Mission. However, human spaceflight has its own unique set of challenges. It requires extreme levels of safety and reliability and a focus on the needs and limitations of the human body. This is where, most importantly, Axiom-4 provides an unparalleled opportunity for practical in-space training and exposure.
Shukla is part of the first batch of gaganyatris already selected by Isro. His role as pilot in the Axiom-4 flight means he has gained firsthand experience in critical aspects of human spaceflight: living and working in almost-zero gravity, handling complex spacecraft systems, responding to contingencies, and performing intricate docking procedures at the International Space Station (ISS). This 'lived experience' on a fully operational platform with a consortium of international partners is something no simulated activity can fully replicate.
The physiological adaptations to sustained microgravity, the mental aspects of confinement and ISS life, the long hours of exercise and muscle toning, the complex teamwork with a truly international crew and the nuances of real-time flight dynamics, are lessons that will be directly fed back into Gaganyaan's astronaut-training modules and mission protocols. Shukla's experience in pre-launch quarantine, spacecraft ingress and egress, medical diagnostics in microgravity, and health readiness will be invaluable in the planning for Indian missions.
Moreover, the major sustained activities on this mission involves critical scientific experiments with direct relevance to Gaganyaan. India's contribution to the Axiom-4 science involves biological and genetic research payloads, developed by Isro in collaboration with leading Indian institutions. These include cultivating food crops such as moong and methi sprouts, and examining strains of cyanobacteria and microalgae to study their growth rates, cellular responses, and biochemical activity in microgravity. There is research on muscle regeneration under microgravity to identify skeletal muscle dysfunction and explore therapeutic strategies. There is a close study of the functioning of tardigrades, which are among the most resilient forms of life.
Finally, there are studies of the physical and cognitive impact of using devices in microgravity to inform future spacecraft computer design.
These experiments are not merely academic, they are designed to address the very challenges Gaganyaan will face — ensuring sustainable food and oxygen, maintaining astronaut health, and understanding long-duration effects of space life on humans. The data gathered from these experiments will be invaluable for refining Gaganyaan's environmental control and life support systems, crew health management protocols, and overall mission design.
Furthermore, the Axiom-4 mission strengthens international collaboration and knowledge transfer for the Indian community. Working alongside not just public sector partners such as the US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), but also private players such as Axiom Space — which will soon operate an independent space station — provides Isro with unique insights into global best practices in human spaceflight operations, safety standards, and mission management. This kind of equal partnership on a global stage also elevates India's standing as a serious and capable player in the exclusive club of human spacefaring nations, rekindling the legacy of the first move in 1984 with cosmonaut wing commander Rakesh Sharma.
The next crucial phases for Gaganyaan include conducting a series of uncrewed test flights, designed to rigorously test various Gaganyaan systems, including the Crew Escape System, the Crew Module's re-entry and recovery, and the performance of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle. These are important for proving the safety and reliability of the entire system. One of these will carry Vyommitra, Isro's humanoid robot, to evaluate the integrated systems and environment in the crew module for suitability for human occupants.
Also being developed for Gaganyaan is the systematic and careful process of integrating the crew module, which will house the astronauts, with the service module, providing essential services like propulsion, power, and life support, is ongoing. This includes fine-tuning the human-machine interfaces and ergonomic demands based on real-world insights, which will incorporate what is learnt from the Axiom-4 mission.
As Shukla gains invaluable experience on Axiom-4, the other astronaut-designates continue their rigorous training, including simulations of all mission phases, parabolic flights for microgravity exposure, water survival training, and extensive medical and psychological conditioning. The culmination of these efforts will be the maiden crewed Gaganyaan mission. This aims to send three Indian astronauts to a low Earth orbit (approximately 400 km), or LEO, for a duration of several days, before a safe splashdown in the Arabian Sea. This is currently targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
Beyond Gaganyaan, India's next ambition is the assembly of our own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, by 2035. The first module is expected to launch by 2028, with the full station becoming operational by 2035. This long-term vision will provide a sustained platform for scientific research, technological development, and further LEO training of Indian astronauts. India also aims to have a crewed lunar mission in 2040.
Meanwhile, Shukla and colleagues will return to Earth in the second week of July. What next? Shukla's thesis advisor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has publicly appealed that he should come back to IISc and finish his Masters' dissertation as soon as he can.
Somak Raychaudhury is vice-chancellor and professor of physics, Ashoka University. The views expressed are personal.