WE ARE NEAR A MAJOR INFLECTION POINT IN INDIA'S SPACE JOURNEY

When you sit by the window and look back at earth, that experience is deeply spiritual. You forget everything.

- ABHINAV SINGH AND NIRMAL JOVIAL

Q/ If not a fighter pilot, what would you have become?

A/ I don’t think like that, and I have no idea what I would have done. I love flying. After joining the Air Force, I enjoyed every moment in the cockpit. I’ve been extremely lucky to find two professions I’ve loved—flying fighters, which I enjoyed for years, and then getting the opportunity to fly to space for my country. I feel fortunate on both counts.

Q/ Space missions often include personal or cultural rituals for good luck. Tell us about the pre-flight rituals your Axiom-4 team had.

A/ For us on Axiom-4, there was a ritual handover from the Axiom team to the SpaceX team, because once you reach that point, the rocket and operations are entirely under SpaceX’s control. After the handover, you get into the Teslas that take you to the suit-up area. During that two-to-three-minute ride, you can see the rocket clearly in the distance.

You're also allowed to play a song of your choice during the drive. The commander and pilot sit in one car, and the mission specialists in another. My commander [Peggy Whitson] played her song first, 'Thunder' by Imagine Dragons, and then I played mine—a high-energy track, 'Vande Mataram,' from the movie Fighter that I really enjoy. It was meant to get your excitement and adrenaline up before you enter the rocket.

Q/ During liftoff, the G-force (a measure of acceleration) gradually build up and that pressure is felt mainly on the chest. What exactly are astronauts trained to do?