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Axiom-4 Mission

Posted 22 Jul 2025

5 minread

Why in the News?

The Axiom-4 Mission carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and 3 other astronauts successfully returned on July 15, 2025.

About Axiom-4 (Ax-4) Mission

It is the 4^th private astronaut mission, to the International Space Station (ISS), of private US Company Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX.
It was a 14-day mission launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, Florida.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage reuseable launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft is a reusable crew module for carrying astronauts into space.
Astronauts: Shubhanshu Shukla (India), Peggy Whitson (USA), Sławosz Uznański (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
Key Features:
- Aim: To "realize the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary.
- Ax-4 marks each nation's first mission to the ISS in history and with each nation's first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years.
- Research: 60+ scientific studies representing 31 countries, including microgravity experiments, human physiology research, Earth observation imaging, among others.
Following research and activities have been executed by ISRO:
- Crop growth: Study impact of microgravity on 6 crop seed varieties for future space farming.
- Cyanobacteria: Observe growth and activity for use in spacecraft life support systems.
  - Cyanobacteria are aquatic bacteria that can photosynthesize.
- Space Microalgae: Compare metabolic and genetic activity in space vs Earth; potential use as food, fuel, or for life support.
- Myogenesis: Study muscle loss, identify pathways responsible for skeletal muscle dysfunction in microgravity and explore therapeutic targeting strategies.
- Tardigrades: Investigate the revival, survival, and reproduction of tardigrades to identify molecular mechanisms of resilience.
- Others: Investigate how the physical and cognitive impact of utilizing computer screens in microgravity; STEM outreach activities for Indian students.

Axiom Mission's Significance for India

Development of Gaganyaan Mission: Offers valuable inputs for medical training, psychological prep, and crew–ground coordination.
- Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is one of the 4 astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan Mission.
Space diplomacy: Highlights ISRO's global collaborations with NASA, ESA, and private firms.
Development of India's Space Ecosystem: Encourages growth of India's space industry; aligns with plans for Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
National Pride and inspiration: Indian astronauts in space will inspire Indian youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Major Obstacles for India in launching a Manned Space Mission

Technological
- Life support system: Must ensure air regeneration, temperature control, waste recycling, and food storage.
- Radiation protection: Beyond Low Earth Orbit, cosmic radiation and solar particle events pose serious health risks.
- Spacecraft re-entry and thermal protection: For re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, spacecraft must withstand temperatures up to 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit, caused by the compression of gas and air particles against the surface of the spacecraft.
- Launch vehicle reliability: Human-rated rockets must meet stricter safety standards to address complexities including controlled ascent, abort systems, and reusability.
Logistical
- Higher cost: Manned space missions incur higher costs due to requirement of robust ecosystems including launchpads, testing facilities, tracking stations, etc.
- Training and selection of astronauts: Astronauts need rigorous physical, psychological, and technical training.
  - Additionally, long-term missions also raise concerns of space-induced psychological issues.

About International Space Station (ISS)

It is a habitable artificial satellite, in Low Earth orbit (LEO) (altitude of 370–460 km).
Key partners for ISS: Europe (ESA), the USA (NASA), Japan (JAXA), Canada (CSA) and Russia (Roscosmos)
It orbits the Earth at a speed of approximately 28,000 kilometres per hour, completing one orbit every 90 minutes.
It is the largest artificial body in orbit providing a laboratory in space, having an orbit such that it can fly over 90% of inhabited Earth.
Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998 and it will continue to be a working laboratory and outpost in orbit until at least 2030.

About Gaganyaan Programme

It will be 'India's first Human Space Flight' mission, approved in 2018.
Aim: Demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km (LEO) for a 3-day mission and bring them back safely to earth.
Components of the Gaganyaan
- Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3): Formerly known as GSLV Mk-III, it is a 3-stage rocket:
  - First stage: Two solid-fuel boosters strapped to the rocket core.
  - Second stage: Two liquid-fuelled, clustered Vikas 2 engines.
  - Third stage: CE-20 indigenous cryogenic engine, using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel and oxidiser, respectively.
- Orbital module: Consisting of Crew Module and Service Module.
The scope of the Programme has been extended to include building of first unit of the Bharatiya Anatriksh Station.

About Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS)

BAS is India's planned space station for scientific research which will orbit around 400 – 450km above the Earth's surface. It will have five modules.
Targets: The first module (the Base Module) is targeted to be launched in 2028 and BAS to be operationalized by 2035.

Conclusion

For India, the collaborations under Axiom-4 Mission, not only accelerates technological learning ahead of its proposed Gaganyaan mission but also build critical human capital and infrastructure for future long-duration spaceflight.

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