By R Anil Kumar
MISSION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS):
On August 2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that two of the astronauts selected for its maiden human spaceflight mission, ‘Gaganyaan’, will travel to the US in the first week of August to train there for a mission to the International Space Station. In particular, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla has been assigned to fly to the ISS while Group Captain Prashanth Nair will be his back-up.
The New Mission:
On June 22, 2023, the US and India issued a joint statement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the United States, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Joe Biden. Among other things, the statement mentioned “a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024”. The two astronauts — or “Gaganyaatris”, as ISRO is calling them — are the Indian participants for this mission.
ISRO published a statement on August 2 in which it said: “During the mission, the Gaganyaatris will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities. The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for Gaganyaan Mission and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA.”
India’s crew selected for the Gaganyaan Mission
On February 27, during a visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Prime Minister Modi announced the names of the four astronaut-candidates for Gaganyaan mission — the ambitious ISRO mission to fly Indian astronauts to space onboard an Indian launch vehicle.
The other two, apart from Mr. Shukla and Mr. Nair, were Group Captains Ajit Krishnan and Angad Pratap. All four are test pilots with the Indian Air Force.
They have undergone training in India and Russia; according to the India-U.S. joint statement, NASA will provide Mr. Shukla and Mr. Nair “advanced training … at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas”.
According to ISRO, a “National Mission Assignment Board” selected Mr. Shukla and Mr. Nair for the joint mission. All astronauts going to the ISS need to be approved by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel, which did so. This panel has representatives from the ISS’s five international partners: NASA, Russia’s Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
The mission Parameters
According to ISRO’s statement, its Human Spaceflight Centre has signed an agreement with Axiom Space, Inc. “for its upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS”. The mission, colloquially called Ax-4, is the fourth crewed mission to the ISS organised by Axiom Space, a private company based in Houston.
Axiom plans to operate the world’s first commercial space station. Its current offerings include human spaceflight services, as part of which it selects and trains astronaut-candidates, charters launch vehicles, and plans and manages space missions.
As participants of the Ax-4 mission, Mr. Shukla or Mr. Nair will fly to the ISS along with two other astronauts. SpaceX will provide the launch vehicle for the mission and its Crew Dragon capsule will house the crew. NASA has said the mission will last 14 days.
According to the ISS’s program manager, Ax-4 will fly no sooner than November 2024. At a conference in Las Vegas in late July/early August July 30 to August 1, representatives of Boryung, a South Korean pharmaceutical company that has invested in Axiom Space, said the mission could be postponed to early 2025, Space News reported. This information remains unconfirmed, however.
The Schedule Onboard the ISS
ISRO chairman S. Somanath said in a recent online interaction that the main purpose of the India-US joint mission to the ISS is to expose the two ‘Gaganyaatris’ to the way a spaceflight mission is organised and conducted and to give them flight experience, including working with the crew already onboard the ISS.
In the event that he flies to the ISS, Mr. Shukla has also been designated the prime mission pilot — a responsibility that Mr. Somanath said will put him through the paces of conducting a mission.
The two ‘Gaganyatris’ will also be conducting “five different experiments” onboard the ISS, according to Mr. Somanath, who added that “some of them … originated in India” while “some are international experiments” in which India will be “joint partners”. He however declined to share specific details.
Gaganyaan’s Status
ISRO has thus far completed the pad abort and the high-altitude abort tests, and has tested the crew escape system, among others.
In October 2023, ISRO Chief Somanath said the LVM-3 launch vehicle for the mission has virtually completed the process of being rated to carry humans. He added the crew module was still being developed and that it would have to be manufactured abroad. He also said engineers were working on the capsule’s Environmental Control and Life Support System and the overall Integrated Vehicle Health Management System: “Every day, there is some test happening,” Somanath Said.
The next major Gaganyaan milestones are a series of uncrewed suborbital and orbital test flights. The last of these is currently expected to happen in mid-2025, although the date could slip further.
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla Named for International Space Station Mission
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, a distinguished officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF), is set to make history as part of India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan. Selected as the prime mission pilot for ISRO’s Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Shukla’s journey from the skies to space is a testament to his exceptional skills and dedication.
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla
Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Shubhanshu Shukla displayed an early passion for aviation. His academic journey took him to the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA), where he honed his leadership and technical skills. This foundation set the stage for a remarkable career in the IAF.
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on June 17, 2006, Shubhanshu’s career has been marked by excellence and achievement. With approximately 2,000 hours of flight experience, he has proven himself as a capable fighter combat leader and test pilot. His extensive flight experience includes piloting a diverse array of aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Mikoyan MiG-29, SEPECAT Jaguar, BAE Systems Hawk, Dornier 228, and Antonov An-32. Each of these aircraft demands a unique set of skills, underscoring Shukla’s versatility and proficiency.
Shubhanshu tied the knot to a dentist from Jankipuram, and they have a four-year-old son. He is said to be the first member of his family to become a defence personnel.
At the age of 38, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla enrolled himself on the Gaganyaan Mission, India’s first crewed space mission.
In preparation for the Gaganyaan mission, Shukla is pursuing a Master of Technology at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. He is also undergoing rigorous training at ISRO, where faculty members from IISc are serving as instructors.
Axiom-4 Mission: Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair Named Shubhanshu’s Backup
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair will be Shubhanshu’s backup for this mission. Nair, born on August 26, 1976, in Thiruvazhiyad, Kerala, is also an alumnus of the NDA and the United States Staff College. He received the Sword of Honour from the Air Force Academy and obtained his engineering degree from NSS College in Palakkad.
Commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF on December 19, 1998, Nair has about 3,000 hours of flying experience. He is a Category ‘A’ Flying Instructor and a test pilot, having flown aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Mikoyan MiG-29, BAE Systems Hawk, Dornier 228, and Antonov An-32.
Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair were named among the four astronaut designates for ISRO’s Gaganyaan Program on February 27, 2024. This program, which aims to send Indian astronauts to low-Earth orbit, is a significant milestone for India’s space ambitions.
“The experiences gained during this mission will be beneficial for the Indian Human Space Program and it will also strengthen human space flight cooperation between ISRO and NASA,” ISRO stated.
