Aspiring to be a space superpower, India sends its first astronaut to reach space for 40 years
Axiom Mission 4 was released months before it was a private space flight that flew to the International Space Station, carried astronauts from four different countries, and was filled with in-depth preparations at the company base in Houston.
For the crew pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, the attitude of expectation grew exponentially as he prepared to be the first Indian to enter space in 41 years.
“For me, it’s a huge event for me,” Shukla, 39, told CBC News ahead of the release of the mission scheduled for Thursday.
He was during training breaks, especially when he first tried to put on a space suit, and he was the one who returned to India to attack him at some point.
“I saw the Indian flag on my shoulders,” Shukla said with a smile. “You think about it…how big it is.”
Space flights operated by Houston’s Axiom Space with the support of NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are symbols of a new era. Countries can hitchhike from commercial companies to bring astronauts into space, where they can be experimented with national space agencies sponsored by national space agencies rather than those that spend time and money building their own rockets.
It is perfect for India’s ambitions to quickly expand its space capabilities and get there using the private sector.
“Great Responsibility”
The latest Axiom mission will be launched this Thursday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to several delays caused by weather and equipment issues. The astronaut will be the SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule, which was launched into space by Falcon 9 Rocket.
The crew, led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and also astronauts from Poland and Hungary, will conduct two weeks of experiments on the International Space Station.
Shukra will become the second Indian national who orbited Earth on a Soviet spacecraft in 1984 for eight days.
“It is a huge responsibility to inspire the entire younger generation through my mission [and to] Shukla said.
Indian news media reported that Shukla will bring some people from India into space during the flight, including delicious dishes such as mango nectar, Moong Dal Halwa and Carrot Halwa.
Until recently, space activities in India were still under ISRO control, but in 2023, the Space Agency opened its facilities to private companies and invested. The country has more than 250 space startups that attract millions of dollars.
“India is eager to be a very important player in the space industry,” said Somak Raychaudhury, an astrophysicist and vice president of the Haryana State University, near Delhi. “It realizes it has to use the private sector.”
Big challenge
The country’s leaders firmly believe that having a successful space program brings not only soft power and reputation, but also wealth.
However, according to Raychaudhury, there are huge challenges.
India is one of the five major players in space exploration, but it has a share of only 2% in the global market. South Asian countries hope to achieve up to 10% of the pace over the next decade.
Raychaudhury said the country produces many highly skilled engineers, but “few people stay in this field.”
Even if it only accounts for a small part of the global space market, India’s economy has many benefits from its $8 billion U.S. industry and its 100,000 people employed, he said.
Ambition
But the country has higher goals.
In August 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully sent a rover to the infamous dark side of the infamous moon to explore its Antarctic – the first world.
Its first human space flight, known as Gaganyaan, is scheduled to take place next year. Its purpose is to send several Indian astronauts into low-Earth orbit for three days.
This will allow India to have its own human space flight program only in the United States, Russia and China.
Raychaudhury said the success of the mission will be key.
“India’s space industry has a very frugal record,” the professor said. The project’s price is much lower than that of the US, Russia or China’s space program.
“The question is whether the same quality can be achieved.”
For example, the Chandrayaan-3 Mission heralds a huge victory in India, which costs less than the price of a single Boeing or Airbus aircraft.
Mars and Venus are also attractions in India
In May, speaking at the Global Space Conference in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made more plans, including building the country’s own space station to Orbit Earth over the next decade.
The country’s space agency focused on exploring the moon with the goal of sending an Indian astronaut to the ground by 2040.
In his speech, Modi promised: “Mars and Venus are also on our radar.”
He concluded his remarks, highlighting how space exploration has the ability to “inspire future generations” and prompt the country to “common dreams.”
Students are inspired
These dreams were fully displayed in Mumbai School one morning in May, as hundreds of children used cardboard and plastic rods to build their own mini rockets, almost longer than their forearms.
The kids spent some time learning about India’s upcoming space project before launching the toy rocket outside.
“It’s so fun,” nine-year-old Reet Dhameja shouted, pointing out how far her mini flew quickly.
Another aspiring scientist, Aarav Sanghvi, went out of his way to make sure his Rockets were perfect.
“I want to be a space engineer,” the 10-year-old said. “Create a bigger rocket for India.”
But when asked if he wanted to go to space himself, he shook his head firmly.
“I want to be a rocket. I don’t want to be an astronaut.”
The event organizer Rajesh Ghangurde said the sentiment was what the school curriculum was concerned about, said Rajesh Ghangurde, president of the Antariksh Society.
“When we talked to the students, we told them that there were only 10 astronauts going to space,” he said.[But] There are 10,000 thoughts or hands trying to make this happen. ”
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore said that while they do not intend to spend nine months on the International Space Station, neither of them think they are trapped or stranded. The two said things didn’t go as planned and they “pivoted”.
