With the successful launch of Axiom-4 into space, the President of India's SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India), Subba Rao Pavuluri, on Wednesday expressed pride. She hailed the astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in the Axiom Mission 4
ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla make his way to Launch. Pic/AFP
With the successful launch of Axiom-4 into space, the President of India's SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India), Subba Rao Pavuluri, on Wednesday expressed pride. She hailed the astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in the Axiom Mission 4, calling it a landmark moment for the country and a reflection of the growing role of India's private sector in global space exploration.
Speaking to ANI, Subba Pavuluri said, "Our astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is going into space. It's a great day for India."
The Axiom Mission 4 launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 2:31 am Eastern Time (12 noon IST).
As reported by ANI, Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, is in command of the mission. While Indian Space Research Organisation Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla serves as pilot. The other two mission specialists are European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, as per ANI.
As per ANI, this is the fourth private astronaut mission into the space station. The crew is travelling to the orbiting lab on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. However, it has been reported that the targeted docking time of the spacecraft is around 7:00 am Eastern Time (4:00 pm IST) on Thursday, June 26.
Once docked, the astronauts who are on board along with Shubhanshu Shukla will spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory. There they will be conducting a mission consisting of science, outreach, and commercial activities.
Moreover, the astronauts are using the new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, which provides them with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live and work on and around the Moon, as per ANI.
Also, the advanced spacesuits that have been used by the astronauts ensure astronauts are equipped with high-performing, robust equipment and are designed to accommodate a wide range of crew members.
Moreover, the Ax-4 mission is going to be conducting major research. The research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and nations across Europe.
As the success of Axiom-4 continues to be recognised around the world, NASA and ISRO are now collaborating to launch several investigations.
These studies, which will be done during the Axiom-4 mission, will include examining muscle regeneration, growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, survival of tiny aquatic organisms, and human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.
(With ANI Inputs)
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