IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s ISS mission: What is means for India

MORE THAN FOUR decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's pioneering spaceflight, India is scripting a new chapter in its cosmic journey, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla goes to the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 team. The involvement of Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman V. Narayanan, who personally visited Axiom Space facilities in the US to review preparations, highlights the institutional support and strategic importance India places on this historic endeavour.

 

The mission serves as a crucial stepping stone for India's broader space ambitions, including the development of indigenous human spaceflight capabilities through the Gaganyaan programme and its emergence as a commercial space hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

The mission’s scientific component includes approximately 60 studies and activities representing 31 countries, among them the United States, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE and several European nations. India will contribute a remarkable portfolio of seven groundbreaking experiments. Developed through collaborations between ISRO and various Indian institutions, these experiments promise to advance understanding of life in microgravity and potentially revolutionise fields such as agriculture and medicine.

 

“One of the most ambitious of India's experiments will focus on space nutrition and life support systems, which are critical for long-duration space missions to Mars and beyond. Under a collaboration between ISRO and the department of biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA, Shukla will examine how microgravity and space radiation affect edible microalgae, particularly spirulina, which scientists consider a potential space 'superfood' because of its high protein and vitamin content,” said space analyst Girish Linganna. The ultimate goal is to develop self-sustaining life support systems where astronauts can recycle waste into nutrients using algae.

 

This research will evaluate the feasibility of using nitrogen sources derived from human waste, such as urea, for cyanobacterial growth―a crucial step towards creating closed-loop, self-sustaining life support systems. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK earlier this year, Dr Jitendra Singh, minister of state for science and technology and earth sciences, said ISRO and the DBT signed an MoU to create a cooperative framework in space biotechnology, biomanufacturing and bioastronautics.

 

“Biotechnology has traditionally been confined to laboratories, but is now reaching the vast expanse of space. This MoU represents a pivotal step towards practical applications. When a human being is made to stay in space for a very long time, he may not be expected to depend on food packets from Earth. He may be in a position to produce his own vegetables or other eatable stuff using biotechnological techniques that help plants grow in space,” Singh said. He added that the DBT and ISRO would jointly undertake projects focusing on space bio-manufacturing demonstration experiments.

 

The Axiom-4 mission will also examine how microgravity impacts agriculture by observing the germination of familiar crops such as fenugreek and green gram. These plants will be sprouted aboard the ISS to study how weightlessness alters growth. The research could inform farming strategies for future lunar or Martian colonies. It may also offer fresh insights into plant genetics and adaptation, possibly leading to improved crop varieties for use in challenging conditions on Earth. Scientists have found that plants in space behave differently: roots may start acting like leaves, and genes that normally stay dormant may become active. Understanding this could transform knowledge of plant biology and lead to new agricultural innovations.

 

The mission’s medical research portfolio includes investigations into skeletal muscle dysfunction in microgravity, a critical concern for long-duration missions. The astronauts will test therapeutic strategies to counter muscle atrophy and bone loss, which could also benefit patients on Earth suffering from muscle-wasting conditions.

 

The mission will have experiments to study tardigrades, tiny organisms that can survive extreme temperatures, radiation and dehydration. Understanding how they adapt to space could help scientists develop ways to protect humans and materials during spaceflight. Other studies will examine how space affects human physiology and behaviour, including the strain caused by constant exposure to electronic screens, which astronauts rely on for communication and control. These insights are vital as space missions become longer and more complex.

 

At the ISS, Shukla will follow a tightly structured daily schedule, conducting experiments, doing maintenance work and possibly performing spacewalks if required. Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott recalled her own spacewalk experience as “incredible”. “You get a whole different view of the Earth and the Sun. One needs to ensure that one is hooked to the space station and not going to float away. We are trained to do that and there is a jetpack and we are trained to fly back in case we lose control,” she told THE WEEK.

 

Exercise is a major part of life in space. Russian cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov, who spent over six months aboard the ISS, said astronauts worked out daily using resistance and cardio equipment to prevent muscle and bone loss. “A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D helped maintain bone health,” he said.

 

Shukla’s journey also has cultural and emotional dimensions. He is carrying carefully chosen items representing different regions of India, based on suggestions by students nationwide, to share India’s rich heritage with the international space community. In a symbolic gesture, he is likely to bring back a surprise gift for Rakesh Sharma, linking the country’s past and future in space. Shukla also plans to perform yoga aboard the ISS. This is not merely symbolic; yoga helps maintain physical and mental health, which is vital in the confined and stressful environment of space. He will also interact live with students in India, helping to make space more accessible and exciting for young minds.

 

WHILE the ISS remains the main platform for international space cooperation, it is important to understand the broader landscape of space stations currently orbiting Earth. China’s Tiangong space station has been operational since 2021 and marks a significant milestone. It orbits Earth at an altitude between 340km and 450km, similar to the ISS. Built over 18 months with three modules, Tiangong is smaller than the ISS and hosts three astronauts at a time. Yet it has already made major scientific contributions, including the 2023 discovery of a new bacterial strain, Niallia tiangongensis, that can survive extreme space conditions. There are, however, key differences between the ISS and Tiangong. “The Chinese space station is much smaller, with only three modules compared with the ISS’s 16, which has hosted astronaut crews continuously since November 2000. Tiangong is also considerably lighter, weighing about 20 per cent as much as the ISS’s 400 tonnes,” said Linganna. China plans to keep Tiangong continuously inhabited by at least three astronauts for a decade. It also aims to expand the station with new modules and open it to commercial activities. It has opened Tiangong to Pakistan and is in talks with other countries.

 

While the Axiom-4 mission makes use of the ISS, Axiom Space is also developing the world’s first commercial space station, expected to become operational later this decade. Other companies are working on their own concepts, helping create a broader ecosystem of space-based facilities. Blue Origin and Sierra Space have announced Orbital Reef, a commercially developed space station in low Earth orbit. This project, backed by companies including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University, aims to open new space markets while offering services such as transportation, logistics, habitation and operations.

 

Orbital Reef is designed as a destination where research, industry, government and commercial users can operate independently while benefiting from shared infrastructure. “The development of these commercial space stations represents more than just technological advancement; it signifies the maturing of space commerce and the democratisation of access to space-based opportunities. These facilities will enable new scientific research, support advanced manufacturing and provide platforms for international collaboration beyond geopolitical divisions,” said Srimathy Kesan, founder of Chennai-based Space Kidz India.

 

India's Rs550 crore commitment to the Axiom mission fits neatly within ISRO’s long-term roadmap, especially the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space aboard indigenous launch vehicles by 2027. The lessons from Shukla’s time on the ISS―on training, system performance, microgravity and human adaptation―will aid Gaganyaan’s preparations and safety protocols. It will also build confidence among Indian scientists to scale up future missions.

 

Looking beyond Gaganyaan, India has set even more ambitious targets: sending humans to the Moon by 2040 and building an independent space station. These goals show India’s determination to join the elite spacefaring nations while making a unique contribution to humanity’s expansion into space. “The Axiom Mission is a great example of how the commercial space industry is opening up access for nations like India and inspiring the next generation to believe that space is finally within their reach,” American astronaut Sian Proctor, the first woman commercial spaceship pilot, told THE WEEK. “When we are solving the complex challenges of human spaceflight, we are simultaneously solving challenges on Earth. As we figure out how to live on the Moon and then Mars, we are creating new technologies that ultimately make Earth more sustainable. The jobs of the future are going to be space related and India will play a significant role in that future.”

 

GRAVITY THRILL IN MICROGRAVITY

 

Alfonso Cuarón’s award-winning disaster thriller Gravity shows an engineer on her first space mission and an astronaut on his final expedition struggling to survive in space after being hit by debris during a spacewalk. Astronauts aboard the ISS have shared their experiences of watching the film during movie nights, highlighting the irony and unique perspective of viewing a space disaster thriller while in orbit. NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio joked about it in a post on X: “I’m watching Gravity up here on the ISS. Let’s call it training.”

 

WEBS SPUN IN SPACE

 

In 2011, NASA researched how spiders spin webs in microgravity by sending two golden orb spiders to the ISS, while two were kept on Earth in identical conditions. The plan was to use four females. Since the spiders were selected as juveniles, it was nearly impossible to determine their sex. Midway through the experiment, two turned out to be males―fortunately, one in space and one on Earth, keeping the experiment balanced. The results showed webs spun in space were more symmetrical than those spun on Earth, unless the lights in the ISS were on. With the lights on, spiders faced away from the source, suggesting that in the absence of gravity, spiders use light as a backup orientation tool.

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