BENGALURU, Karnataka, India: In the wake of PM Modi‘s declaration during his U.S. sojourn that an Indian astronaut would sojourn to the International Space Station (ISS) under a U.S. aegis, ISRO is poised to dispatch Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla as part of a spacefaring accord with Axiom Space, an entity recognized by NASA.
The Human Space Flight Centre of ISRO has proffered Shukla as the principal mission pilot with Group Captain Prashanth Nair as the auxiliary. The ultimate sanction rests with the multilateral crew operations panel. Shukla and Nair are among the quartet of astronaut-designates earmarked for India’s Gaganyaan venture, aimed at propelling astronauts into the cosmic expanse.
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Commencement of Training for ISS Journey: ISRO
Astronaut-designates Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Nair will inaugurate their training regimen for the ISS voyage in the inaugural week of August 2024, ISRO has proclaimed. This alliance with Axiom Space pertains to the impending Axiom-4 expedition to the ISS.
“This partnership emanates from a joint communique articulated during PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the U.S. in June 2023, which envisaged a collaborative ISRO-NASA initiative on the ISS,” ISRO elucidated on Friday.
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“During their tenure on the ISS, the astronauts (including one Indian) will execute scientific inquiries, technological expositions, and engage in space outreach undertakings. This mission is anticipated to furnish invaluable insights for India’s Human Space Programme and fortify the spaceflight collaboration between ISRO and NASA,” ISRO asserted.
