After the visit of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in Soyuz T -11 in April 1984, Group captain Shubanshu Shukla will play the role of pilot on the Group captain Shubanshu Shukla, Axiom Mission 4 or X -4.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in AX-4 Florida will go from the Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS), which is not earlier compared to spring 2025, Axiom told reporters on Thursday.
Group Captain Shukla, who is serving in the Indian Air Force (IAF), has also been selected by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as an astronaut for the Gaganan Mission of India. It was ISRO who sent it ISS to NASA for the AX-4 mission.
Pagi Whiteson, former NASA’s former astronaut and director of the human spaceflight in the Axiom Space, will command the private AX-4 mission, while the group’s captain Shukla will serve as a pilot, the American Space Agency told reporters.
“I am really excited to go to microgravity and experience space flight on my own. Tempo is building every month for the mission. I think we are on a platform in which all the pieces together Like coming. I am very excited to see how it comes in the coming months and for the actual space flight, “Group captain Shukla said in response to a question of NDTV.
AXIOM 4 Mission Team talks to NDTV Science Editor Pallav Bagla
“We have been training for the last four-five months. Now we understand the concept of concept, operation, and moving from here it will mostly recur the things we have done. So we are ready and confident Our abilities to successfully execute this mission, “Group Captain Shukla said.
Group captain Shukla said if he would demonstrate yoga, as Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma did, “Yes, now you have said that, I will probably perform some pose of this yoga, while we are at the station. “
“But another important aspect is that we need to practice while staying on the ground so that we have a healthy body that can have a healthy mind and allows us to execute this mission in our entire souls,” the group K captain Shukla said. ,
He said in Hindi, “I am very excited about this mission, and I think the kind of training we have done so far, we believe in our abilities. We to perform this mission very well. Will be able to thank you. “
Axiom 4 mission team
Ms. Whitson praised her team, which has a diverse creation.
“These people are very intelligent, so they listen to me completely,” he said. “It is an interesting challenge to bring a diverse group of different countries together. I had that opportunity on the previous Axiom mission. And even on NASA missions, we work as a very international team. I like to do so. I like to bring people together and make a team.
The first private astronaut mission for ISS, AXIOM Mission 1, was removed for the 17-day mission at the Parikrama Laboratory in April 2022.
The second private astronaut mission for the station, AXIOM Mission 2, was also commanded by Ms. Whitson and was launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts, who spent eight days in orbit.
The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; The crew spent 18 days to do the ISS.
