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As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the second Indian to travel to space, former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan called the Axiom-4 mission a prelude to ISRO's Gaganyan project.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Narayanan said, "We trained four astronauts for the past one year for the zero gravity experience and other various rigorous trainings. After the training, they were waiting for our mission, Gaganyaan, which is scheduled to lift off in 2027. What we are doing now is a prelude to the Gaganyan project, and in this project, we are getting exposure to how to handle a situation like this. What are all the experiences of going through a manned mission?" He added that there are a lot of differences between a satellite vehicle and a manned mission "A manned mission and a satellite vehicle have a lot of differences... We are using the Falcon 9 of the USA, which is launching the crew that is expected to go to the space station," he said. Former scientist Narayanan said that Shubahanshu Shukla will conduct seven experiments individually and five along with NASA at the International Space Centre. "Group Captain Shubahanshu Shukla is now taken as the astronaut who goes on the mission. He is expected to do seven experiments, which are scheduled to be done by him individually, and there are five experiments which are going to be done with NASA's combination..." he said. The launch of the Axiom-4 mission features astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, each embarking on their first-ever mission to the ISS. This also marks the second government-sponsored human spaceflight in over four decades for each of these countries. The mission is a major milestone in the Indian Space Research Organisation's collaboration with NASA through Axiom Space. As per ISRO, the mission, which was scheduled to be launched on June 10, has been rescheduled to June 11 due to unfavourable weather conditions. Joining Shukla on the mission are Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Uznanski will be Poland's second astronaut since 1978, while Kapu will be Hungary's second since 1980. Veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission, adding to her record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by any American. (ANI)
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