The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), set to take off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida next week, will be piloted by an Indian as it soars towards the International Space Station (ISS).
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian air force is among the four-member multi-country crew of Ax-4 that will be spending two weeks on the ISS.
The flight, scheduled for 10 June at 08:22 EDT (12:22GMT; 17:52IST), has generated a huge interest in India as Group Captain Shukla will only be the second Indian ever to travel to space and the first to visit the ISS.
The trip comes 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to fly to space aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984. He spent nearly eight days there.
Ax-4 is led by former Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson – a space veteran who has been commander of ISS twice, spent hundreds of days in space and done 10 space walks.
The team also includes Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary – just like the Indian astronaut, they will also be taking their countries back to space after more than four decades.
Experts say the pilot’s role is key, as he would serve as second-in-command to the mission commander, assisting with spacecraft operations during launch, docking, undocking and return to Earth.
The astronauts, who have been in quarantine since 25 May to prepare for the trip, addressed a press conference on Tuesday night where they showed-off Joy – a small, white toy swan they said would be “the fifth crew member” on Ax-4.
“We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well,” Commander Whitson said.
Describing the past year as “nothing short of transformative” for him, Group Captain Shukla said he did not have words to describe his excitement.
“It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come,” he said.
“As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.
“I request all Indians to pray for the success of our mission,” he added.
The 39-year-old was among four Indian air force officers shortlisted last year to travel on the country’s first-ever human space flight, scheduled for 2027.
The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days. India has also announced ambitious plans to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
India’s space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for Gaganyaan. In December, it plans to send a female humanoid robot to space as part of the tests.
So, officials say the mission comes as a “unique exciting opportunity” for Isro and has generated a lot of interest in India. The trip to ISS aboard Ax-4 – a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private company Axiom Space – is a collaborative effort between Nasa, Isro and European Space Agency (Esa). (BBC)
The Indian pilot set for a historic space journey
