Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 10 : As Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the second Indian to travel to space, astronomer and Professor RC Kapoor on Tuesday said that the Axiom-4 mission will carry a "very special astronaut". He said that Shukla is set to carry out seven experiments at the International Space Station (ISS).
Speaking to ANI, Prof RC Kapoor said, "...Rocket is going to carry four very special passengers to the International Space Station. They are all from different nationalities, and the commander is NASA's astronaut Peggy Whitson. There are three other astronauts: one is from Poland, one from Hungary, and also a very special astronaut from India, Shubhanshu Shukla.'
Talking about Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla and the significance of Axiom-4 for India, the professor said, "He is a group captain in the Air Force, and he has been trained for space travel, particularly from the Gaganyan mission point of view. But, in between, we have got a great chance for our Indian astronaut to be taken to ISS, which is a heavy table satellite moving above Earth from a height of about 400 km. This space station has been there in place since 1998, and this is the first time that there is Indian participation."
Prof Kapoor told ANI that Shukla is going to conduct seven out of Axiom-4's 60 experiments. He also discussed Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma's visit to space, saying that Sharma had stayed in space for about eight days and had conducted some experiments.
"Shukla is going to carry seven experiments, and they are of different varieties. The mission of Axiom Space is going to carry 60 experiments. This is an exciting moment for us, because after 41 years, if you recall, in April 1984 Squadron leader Rakesh Sharma flew aboard T-11 Rocket of the Russian Space Agency and then was taken to cell 7 space station where he stayed for close to 8 days. He went around the Earth 15 times, took some pics and conducted experiments. He was already trained for that in Russia," he said.
Speaking about the hard training for astronauts, Prof Kapoor said, "...In space, things are not easy. Everything has to work in perfect unison. Astronauts have to be given extensive training, which we can't imagine because sometimes the training goes on for several years."
"After launch, it may take 28 hours (for the Axiom-4 team) to reach the station... but we are hoping everything goes perfectly," he said.
The launch of the Axiom-4 mission features astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, each embarking on their first-ever mission to the ISS. This also marks the second government-sponsored human spaceflight in over four decades for each of these countries.
The mission is a major milestone in the Indian Space Research Organisation's collaboration with NASA through Axiom Space. As per ISRO, the mission, which was scheduled to be launched on June 10, has been rescheduled to June 11 due to unfavourable weather conditions.
Joining the mission are Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Uznanski will be Poland's second astronaut since 1978, similar to Kapu, who will also be Hungary's second since 1980.
Veteran American astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission, adding to her record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by any American.