Latest news with #Axiom-04
The Hindu
a day ago
- Science
- The Hindu
Group Captain Shukla extracted in stable condition from capsule, undergoing post-mission medical evaluation: ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) said that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was undergoing a structured post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol under the supervision of Axiom Space and ISRO flight surgeons. 'The capsule was recovered promptly by SpaceX's recovery teams, and Shukla was extracted in stable condition,' ISRO said. Axiom-4 splashdown: Follow LIVE updates on July 15, 2025 It added that Mr. Shukla's post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol would span seven days. 'The post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol includes cardiovascular assessments, musculoskeletal tests, and psychological debriefs aimed at ensuring full physiological recovery and data capture for future missions,' the space agency said. As part of India's participation in Axiom-04, a dedicated ISRO high-level delegation and a Mission Operations Team were deployed to Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, ahead of the launch. Later, both teams moved to the Johnson Space Centre, Houston, to join in the docking operations. The Mission operations team continued to stay there, gaining invaluable first-hand experience in managing human spaceflight operations. 'The team was embedded alongside NASA and Axiom flight controllers, participating in real-time decision-making, telemetry tracking, crew timeline management, and health monitoring of both the astronaut and the science payloads. This exposure provided critical insights into international crewed mission coordination, emergency response protocols, and the complexities of orbital operations,' ISRO said. It further said that this collaborative mission would serve as a vital stepping stone in building India's own crewed mission operations infrastructure, enhancing readiness for future indigenous human spaceflight programs such as Gaganyaan and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station).
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Axiom-4 one small step in orbit, giant leap for spaceflight & discovery: Isro
BENGALURU: Several days after India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla entered the International Space Station (ISS), , stating that 'space is a domain best explored together,' said its participation in the Axiom-04 mission echoes that spirit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Axiom-4 follows in the legacy of international cooperation that sent Rakesh Sharma to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Soyuz, Isro said, and added: '...This is one small step in orbit, but a giant leap in India's pursuit of human spaceflight and scientific discovery.' The space agency said: '...The professionalism, dedication, and scientific excellence demonstrated by all partner agencies in the lead-up to the Axiom-4 mission have been truly inspiring. Isro is deeply appreciative of the partnership and camaraderie shown by our counterparts around the world.' Reiterating that the mission was conceptualised during PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US in 2023, Isro said the PM's leadership continues to shape India's future in space as one that is collaborative, confident, and committed to peaceful exploration. Ax-4 is expected to provide useful operational inputs for Isro's , particularly in areas such as astronaut health telemetry, crew-ground coordination, multi-agency integration, and experiment execution in space conditions. 'These insights will directly influence mission planning, safety validation, and astronaut readiness for India's first indigenous human spaceflight mission,' Isro said. Onboard the ISS, a set of Indian scientific experiments is being conducted as part of the Ax-04 mission. These cover life sciences, fluid dynamics, health monitoring, and Earth observation. 'Redwire Space, US, is coordinating the payload integration activities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Redwire facilitated key steps, including technical validation and compliance with ISS payload requirements. Each experiment is packaged into flight-ready payload containers. Redwire is also supporting the development of hardware handling protocols, ensuring that the Indian experiments could be safely deployed and operated onboard ISS, thereby enabling meaningful scientific outcomes for India's research community,' Isro said. Pointing out how the launch was rescheduled multiple times due to issues such as a harness problem in Dragon, weather in the ascent corridor, leakage in the Falcon-9 booster stage, and leakage in the Zvezda Module of the ISS, the space agency said: 'The Isro delegation played a constructive role in resolving all the issues. It made its stand clear that all problems should be resolved before clearing the launch for lift-off, considering the mission risks and safety of the crew. ' The Indian astronauts —Shukla and his backup Group Captain Prashanth B Nair — have trained in spacecraft systems, microgravity operations, emergency protocols, space medicine, and experiment handling. As part of the programme, he also participated in Nasa's National Outdoor Leadership Programme (NOLPS) in the Mexican wilderness, designed to build team resilience and psychological readiness.
United News of India
18-06-2025
- Science
- United News of India
Axiom-04 launch likely on June 22: Dr Jitendra Singh
New Delhi, June 18 (UNI) The Axiom Mission 04, a private crewed spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), is now scheduled for launch on June 22, subject to final clearances on module fitness, crew health, and weather conditions. The mission includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla among its international crew, marking a significant milestone in India's foray into commercial human spaceflight. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, confirmed the development on Wednesday. "After reviewing all key parameters, Axiom Space has indicated June 22 as the likely launch date for the Axiom-04 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS," Dr Singh said in a post on X. He further added that this mission reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of India's rising global stature in space innovation and international collaborations. Axiom Space, which is organising the mission in coordination with NASA and SpaceX, said further updates would be shared as they become available. This will be one of the first instances of an Indian citizen travelling to space on a privately operated orbital mission, paving the way for future global partnerships in space exploration. UNI BDN PRS
India Gazette
11-06-2025
- Science
- India Gazette
Axiom-4 Mission postponed due to technical issue: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday informed that the launch of Axiom-4, carrying Indian astronaut Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed due to a technical issue. According to Singh, a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of the Falcon 9 booster, prompting a joint review by ISRO, Axiom, and SpaceX teams. In a post on X, Singh stated, 'Mission Update | Axiom-04 The launch of Axiom Mission 4, carrying India's astronaut Shukla to the ISS, is postponed. A liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of Falcon 9's booster. After a joint review by ISRO, Axiom & SpaceX teams, it was decided to rectify the issue & revalidate before liftoff. Safety. Precision. Commitment to excellence.' Singh emphasised the importance of safety, precision, and commitment to excellence in the mission and stated that further updates on the mission will be shared accordingly. Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh spoke about the exclusive missions that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will perform during his Axiom4 space mission. He also mentioned that the world recognises India's growth and capabilities and said that this has been possible due to recent changes in the space sector. In a video released by the Office of Jitendra Singh, speaking about Gaganyaan mission, he said, 'Gaganyaan is a very ambitious mission as far as ISRO is concerned. The whole world is closely watching it.' He added, 'Gaganyaan will also involve docking and undocking, which will happen in this. Once they go up, it will take about 28 hours, then after 28 hours, it will reach about 400 kilometres from the surface of Earth, which is in American physiology, about 250 miles, and there the docking would happen. They would then enter into the space station. And remain there for a minimum of about two weeks, which could also be extended. So the experience: getting accustomed to that kind of exercise walking into and walking out would also be required in case of Gaganyaan, and also several future experiments, and more so India's own space station. We plan to have our own exclusive space station by 2035, which will be known as Bharat Space Station, and for that also, this experience is going to come in handy.' Speaking about the role which will be performed by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, he said, 'This time, Shubhanshu Shukla is going to play a very important role. He is going to have the most critical role because he will perform experiments which are exclusively going to have a bearing on the future space missions, not only those of India, also of NASA and other agencies. And I'm also glad to mention that it keeps up the spirit of the whole of science and the whole of government, which PM Modi keeps emphasising time and again. We got ISRO involved in an official MoU with the Department of Biotechnology. And as of now, Shubhanshu is scheduled to perform six sets of experiments. A) For example, about life sciences- the physical, physiological, and cognitive effects of being in space for a long while, which would affect the human body.'He added, 'B) of course, the behavioral responses resulting from constant watching of the computer screen which is mandatory for all the astronauts. C) He is also going to experiment on the body's response in extreme conditions. The effect of microgravity on muscle dysfunction and besides that, some plant-related research like how the cyanobacteria behave in microgravity, which could have a bearing on the production of food elements in space in times to come.' He said, 'These are very futuristic experiments which are exclusively assigned to Shubhanshu. Therefore, it's a great breakthrough. This is a moment which would make our founding fathers proud- Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan. India today has reached that pedestal where we are looked upon as not junior partners, not as followers, but as partners who offer cues to others to follow. And this could be possible because of the reorientation of the space reforms, the opening of the space sector to the private players and it could not have been possible without the political will of the government in place.' Union Minister Jitendra Singh thanked PM Modi for his leadership. 'I have to thank PM Modi for he has the cpacity to make out-of-box decisions, break the taboos of the past because for six, seven decades we got conditioned to live with the belief that space has to act behind the veil of secrecy and it is not to be opened up to the private sector. Giving up that mindset, we are now following same global strategies, parameters, in fact, marching ahead of other nations as well.' He elaborated, 'We are now equal partners. The decision to have an Astronaut from India was taken and the offer was made to India incidentally when PM Modi was on a visit to Washington DC when President Biden was in place. So you can see there is also a reflection of the recognition of the Indian capabilities, Indian human resource, which is quite a departure from the earlier times when the capabilities of Indians were not taken seriously. That perception about India has also undergone a change.' The Axiom-4 mission launch has been postponed to June 11, 2025, due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the mission, carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), will now lift off at 5:30 PM IST on June 11. ISRO wrote on X, 'Launch of Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station: Due to weather conditions, the launch of Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to International Space Station is postponed from 10th June 2025 to 11th June 2025. The targeted time of launch is 5:30 PM IST on 11th June 2025: Dr V Narayanan, Chairman ISRO/ Secretary DOS / Chairman Space Commission.' The Axiom-4 mission crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. (ANI)
United News of India
11-06-2025
- Science
- United News of India
Axiom-04 launch postponed after LOX leak
Bengaluru, June 11 (UNI) The much anticipated Axiom-04 mission, with the scheduled lift-off on June 11, carrying the first Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed following the detection of a technical anomaly during launch preparations, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Wednesday. As part of pre-launch protocols, a seven-second hot test of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle's booster stage was carried out on the launch pad to validate its performance. During this critical test, engineers detected a leakage of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) in the propulsion bay of the rocket. Following a detailed review involving ISRO engineers and experts from mission partners Axiom Space and SpaceX, it was unanimously decided to rectify the leak and carry out necessary validation tests before granting clearance for launch. Dr V Narayanan, secretary of the Department of Space, chairman ISRO and chairman of the Space Commission, said: 'Based on deliberations between ISRO, Axiom and SpaceX experts, it has been decided to address the LOX leak and carry out additional validation before proceeding with the launch.' He added that the new date for the mission will be announced after successful completion of the rectification process. The Axiom-04 mission carries historic significance as it marks India's first-ever human spaceflight mission to the ISS through an international partnership. The Gaganyatri, Group Captain Prashanth Shukla, an experienced Indian Air Force pilot, has been undergoing intensive training in Houston over the past year. Shukla, who was selected for the mission following a rigorous selection and evaluation process conducted jointly by ISRO and the Indian Air Force, was slated to spend around two weeks aboard the ISS, conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations of Indian origin. A decorated test pilot with over 3,000 hours of flying experience across multiple aircraft platforms, Shukla was also part of the initial Gaganyaan astronaut training cohort and represents the next chapter in India's growing human spaceflight ambitions. Though the delay is a temporary setback, ISRO officials reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the highest levels of safety and mission assurance, especially given the mission's symbolic and strategic importance. UNI BDN PRS
