India’s space programme achieved a historic milestone with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s participation in Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), marking a significant step in the nation’s human spaceflight journey.

Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilot, became the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma.

This achievement, 41 years after Sharma’s flight, underscores India’s growing prowess in space exploration and its strategic use of international partnerships to advance its ambitions, under the aegis of the Modi government.

Selected as one of the four astronauts for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, India’s first indigenous human spaceflight programme, Shukla underwent rigorous training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. During his 18-day stay on the ISS, Shukla conducted over 60 scientific experiments, including seven designated by ISRO.

A key experiment, Myogenesis, conducted at the Life Sciences Glovebox, explored skeletal muscle degradation in microgravity, aiming to develop therapies for astronauts and patients with muscle-degenerative diseases on Earth. These experiments will bolster India’s microgravity research ecosystem, enhancing its scientific capabilities. Shukla also engaged in public outreach, including a live videoconference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ham radio sessions with students, inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM fields. For India, Ax-4 was a strategic step toward the Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2027, which aims to send Indian astronauts........

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