Eager to become a space superpower, India is sending its 1 astronaut into space in 4 decades

A private space flight to the international space station carrying four astronauts from four separate countries, the leading month for the launch of the Axiom Mission 4, was filled with intense preparations in Houston on the basis of the company.

For the crew pilot, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, anticipation increased rapidly as they prepared to become the first Indian to go into space in 41 years.

In an interview before the launch of the mission, 39 -year -old Shukla told CBC News, “This is a man and a monumental event for me as our country.

He was the one who was taking India back into space, hit him in a few moments, he said during a break in training, especially when he first tried on his spacesuit.

“I saw the Indian flag on my shoulder,” Shukla, whose call sign is Shuks, said smiling. “You think about it … how big it is.”

The space flight, which is being operated by the Axiom Space in Houston with the support of NASA and India Space Research Organization (ISRO), symbolizes a new era. Countries can ride from commercial companies to achieve their astronauts in space, where they can conduct experiments sponsored by national space agencies, rather than the time and money of agencies that spend their own rockets.

It fits very neatly in India’s ambitions to expand its space skills rapidly and use the private sector to reach there.

‘A big responsibility’

After several delays due to weather and equipment issues, the latest Axiom mission is set to launch NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this Thursday. Astronauts will ride in a spacex crew dragon capsule launched in space by Falcon 9 rocket.

The crew, led by NASA’s former NASA astronaut Paigi Whitson and includes astronauts from Poland and Hungary, will spend two weeks to conduct experiments at the International Space Station.

Shukla Cosmonot will become the second Indian citizen to move into space, following the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, who revolved around the Earth for eight days in a Soviet spacecraft in 1984.

Shukla said, “Inspiring an entire young generation through my mission (and) is a big responsibility that leads to the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.”

Indian News outlets reported that Shukla will take a bit of India with him in a flight to space, including dishes like Mango Amrit, Moong Dal Halwa and Ghazar Halwa.

Until some time ago, India’s space activity was controlled by ISRO, but in 2023, the space agency opened its facilities for private companies, and was invested. There are over 250 space startups in the country that attract millions of dollars.

“India is aspiring to become a very important player in the space industry,” Somk Raichuduri said, Astronomer Physicist and Vice Chancellor of Ashok University in Sonepat, Haryana, close to Delhi. “And it shows that it has to use the private sector.”

major challenges

The leaders of the country are confident that having a successful space program brings not only soft power and reputation but also money.

According to Raidari, there are further challenges.

India is one of the five major players in space exploration, yet the global market is only two percent. The South Asian nation wants to get up to 10 percent in the next decade.

The country produced a lot of skilled engineers, but “very few of them live in such an area,” Rayichhaudari said.

Even holding only a small percentage of the global space market, there are already several benefits for India’s economy that the industry has $ 8 billion $ US slices and 100,000 people employ it, he said.

Big ambitions

But the country is making even more goals.

In August 2023, the Chandrayaan -3 mission successfully sent a rover to the dark side of the Moon’s notorious barely to detect its south pole -one world.

Its first human space flight, called Gaganian, is planned for next year. Its purpose is to send many Indian astronauts to the orbit of low earth for three days.

After the United States, Russia and China, India will only make India the fourth nation after its own human space flight program.

The success of that mission will be important, Rayachuduri said.

“India’s record of being very frugal in the space industry of India,” said the professor, “very affordable projects compared to space programs in the United States, Russia or China.”

“The question is whether the same quality can be achieved or not.”

For example, Chandrayaan -3 mission, Herald as a major win for India, cost less than the price of a single boing or airbus aircraft.

Mars and Venus also in India’s places

In May, speaking at a global space conference in New Delhi, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi made more plans, including the construction of its own space station in the Earth’s orbit within the next decade.

The country’s space agency focuses on the moon discovery with the target of sending an Indian astronaut to walk on the surface by 2040.

Modi promised in his speech, “Mangal and Venus are also on our radar.”

He highlighted his comments on how space exploration has the power to “inspire future generations” and pushed the country to “dream together”.

Students inspired

One morning in May in Mumbai, those dreams were on their performance, as hundreds of children used cardboard and plastic rods to make their mini rockets, which were barely longer than their foreheads.

Children spent time learning about India’s upcoming space projects before launching toy rockets.

“It was very funny,” nine-year-old sand Dhamija said, indicating how far his mini-racket flew away.

Another classmate, scientific Aarav Sanghvi, raised pain to ensure that his rocket was perfect.

“I want to be an engineer of space,” said 10 -year -old. “To make big rockets for India.”

But when asked if he wants to go to space himself, he shook his head firmly.

“I want to make a rocket. I don’t want to be a astronaut.”

The feeling is fine that the school’s programs have been focused on the event, the organizer of the event, Rajesh Gangurde, the chairman of the Anticsh Society, an outreach group that promotes space exploration.

“When we talk to students, we tell them that there are only 10 astronauts who go into space,” he said. “(But) 10,000 brains or hands are working to make that thing.”