By R Anil Kumar
Bengaluru. The world is already looking to replace the International Space Station (ISS) which is set to be retired and junked by 2031. The ISS has been Earth’s outpost in space for the last 25 years and has seen continuous and unbroken human presence in low Earth orbit since the year 2000, said Ms. Pearly Pandya.
Speaking exclusively to R Anil Kumar, India Strategic, on the sidelines of International Conference on Space-2025, in Bengaluru, Pearly Pandya, Director, International Government Business at Axiom Space, who is an Indian-American and was born in Ahmedabad, said she hopes to see Indian rockets used in such missions in the future, and Axiom is looking for a longer collaboration with India.
In 2023, I had the privilege of leading Axiom Space’s first business trip to India. Our Chief Revenue Officer at the time Tejpaul Bhatia (now Axiom Space CEO) and I set out to discuss a human spaceflight opportunity with leaders of the Government of India.
I carried with me a suitcase filled with hope, my U.S.-India lapel pin, and the Tiranga we had flown to space on Axiom Mission 2.
We visited New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad (my birthplace). Being able to share Axiom Space’s story and the vision for the future of space in a city intertwined with my family’s stories and history was a feeling like no other.
Since I was young, my parents instilled in me the importance of serving as an everyday ambassador of our Indian heritage.
As members of the Indian diaspora, we cherish the legacy of our ancestors and honour the stories from our birthplace. Yet, I never expected my cultural roots to find such meaningful expression in my work in the space industry.
Now, our company is proud to have been collaborated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the historic Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
The Axiom Space team worked tirelessly to prepare for the astronaut mission, which flew the first Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS).
Around 40 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space, Ax-4 Pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian citizen to travel to space and the first aboard the ISS.
This mission marks India’s return to human spaceflight, as the nation begins its next chapter of space exploration. With Ax-4, India joined the legacy of the ISS, right as it charts its own future with the ambitious Gaganyaan project.
I am honoured to be a part of the team that is supporting India as it enters this golden era. Our hope is that Ax-4 is a chance for ISRO to expand its expertise in advance of its own human spaceflight missions, build a thriving microgravity research ecosystem, and prepare for long-term human presence in space.
This mission is also a pivotal milestone in US-India space cooperation. Envisioned in the India-USA Joint Statement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in June 2023, this ISRO-NASA joint effort builds bridges between two superpower nations, two space agencies, and two hemispheres.
At Axiom Space, we are building era-defining space infrastructure to support India and nations around the globe. To date, we are the only company on the planet that has conducted commercial astronaut missions to the ISS, and the research on our fourth mission represented over 30 countries.
We are also building the world’s first commercial space station, and we have the unique privilege of connecting our modules to the International Space Station.
Finally, we are the only company building spacesuits for the Moon – when NASA lands the first woman on the Moon, she will be wearing our spacesuit!
As I think about the legacy that has inspired me to join the space industry, I think about the legacy that we, the Indian diaspora, can create for our future. With the Ax-4 mission, I hope we inspire the next-generation of explorers and encourage Indian trailblazers and visionaries to define the paradigm of life and work, not only on Earth but also beyond our planet.
In her current role, Pearly Pandya is enabling access to low-Earth orbit for international governments, industries, and researchers.
Pearly is the Asia Region Lead for Axiom Space and played a key role in the foundational discussions for the historic ISRO-NASA joint human spaceflight effort, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). She seeks to bridge her professional experiences in both the space and healthcare sectors, as she continues to bridge her own two worlds as an Indian-born first-generation American immigrant.
Pearly received her B.S. Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and M.S. Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University.
‘Axiom Space’ Takes Up Challenge to Build Space Station as ISS Heads for Retirement-Ms. Pearly Pandya
Many private enterprises are trying to make space stations. Axiom Space, the Houston-based private company which trained India’s astronauts during the 2025 mission to the ISS, is leading the pack.
The global partners now see it as becoming obsolete and needs a replacement. Many private enterprises are trying to make space stations. Axiom Space, the Houston-based private company training India’s astronauts for the 2025 mission to the ISS, is leading the pack and hopes to have the Axiom Space Station up and running before 2031.
Axiom Space in a statement said it is the leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure.
We operate end-to-end missions to the ISS while developing its successor, Axiom Station, and building next-generation spacesuits for low-Earth orbit, the Moon and beyond, Ms. Pandya said.
Axiom space says the construction of the world’s first commercial space station is underway.
Axiom Space is preparing for an end of 2027 launch of the first section of its next-generation platform that will operate in low-Earth orbit.
To a question on Indian rockets being used for missions to the probable successor to the ISS, which Axiom is building, Ms Pandya said, “I would love to see that. For us, it is important that the supply chain is global and diverse.
I think the possibilities and the potential that India has is immense. The successes that we have seen with Chandrayaan-3 have demonstrated that India is emerging to be a space superpower and we are very excited to be a part of that story.”
On India’s plan to have its own space station, Bharatiya Antariksha Station, by 2035, Ms Pandya said Axiom would be ready to support the country and would be happy to discuss interoperability, building a module, or even working on “space trade”, wherein each station has different capabilities.
