India Returns to Human Spaceflight Mission After 40 Years With Axioms’s ISS-Bound Crew
New Delhi: India has returned to human spaceflight missions after more than 40 years with the latest mission launched by Texas-based Axiom space and Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Wednesday (June 25).
The tech billionaire’s rocket venture sent a four-member crew, among whom is an Indian astronaut, into the orbit where they will make their way to the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronaut team comprises NASA retiree turned private astronaut Peggy Whitson from the US, Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Shukla is an Indian airforce pilot. His participation in the mission is being seen as a precursor to India’s own crewed mission on the Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft slated for 2027.
For India, Poland and Hungary, this is also the first official trip to the ISS news agency Reuters reported.
The team is expected to reach ISS after a 28-hour ride, where they will spend two weeks conducting microgravity research.
The ISS currently has seven residents – three astronauts from the US, one from Japan and three cosmonauts from Russia.
The mission used a SpaceX launch vehicle consisting of a Crew Dragon capsule atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew Dragon capsule, nicknamed ‘Grace’ by the crew, is making its debut flight and is the fifth vehicle of its kind in the SpaceX capsule fleet, the report said.
It is also the first Crew Dragon flight since the public spat between Musk and US President Donald Trump. Musk had threatened to decommission the spacraft when Trump said he was planning to cancel Musk's government contracts.
Who’s who?
Axiom is a Houston-based company co-founded by NASA's former ISS program manager. It is among the handful of companies building their own commercial ISS, which is expected to replace NASA’s ISS in 2030. The latest mission is Axiom’s fourth such flight since 2022.
Among the crewmates, Kapu is part of Hungary’s space programme named HUNOR, while Uznański-Wiśniewski is a Polish astronaut assigned to the European Space Agency. They are both Axiom 4 mission specialists.
The most experienced among the crew is Whitson, who was NASA’s first female chief astronaut and the first woman to command an ISS expedition. This is her fifth flight to orbit.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
