Axiom-4 boost for Isro's manned spaceflight plans

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.

- Somak Raychaudhury

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.