India selects 2 crew members for Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station

India selects 2 crew members for Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station

Subject: Science and Tech

Sec: Space sector

Context:

Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captains in the IAF, will train in U.S.; experience gained during the mission will be beneficial for human space programme, says ISRO.

More on News:

• A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris (astronauts) as prime and backup Mission Pilot for this mission.
• Group Captain Shukla will be the prime mission pilot and Group Captain Nair will be the back up.
• The Axiom-4 mission is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
• ISRO added that the assigned crew members will be finally approved to fly to the International Space Station by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP).

Axiom-4 Mission:

• NASA and Axiom Space, an american privately funded space infrastructure developer signed an order for the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS, aiming to launch in August 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• The mission aims to dock with the ISS for a fourteen-day duration.
• Indian astronauts will receive training from NASA, international partners, and SpaceX, focusing on spacecraft systems and emergency preparedness, as part of India-US space cooperation goals.

International Space Station (ISS):

• The ISS is a large, permanently crewed laboratory that orbits Earth, 400 kilometres above its surface. It is home to astronauts and cosmonauts,and serves as a unique science laboratory.
  • Its research is expected to lead to advancements in many areas, including medicine, technology, science, and understanding the Earth and universe.
• It’s a collaboration between15 countries and five space agencies namely NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
• An international crew ofseven people live and work while travelling at a speed of 66 km/sec, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets.
  • Peggy Whitson set the US record for spending the most total time living and working in space for 665 days.
• The first parts of the ISS were sent and assembled in orbit  in 1998. Since the year 2000, the ISS has had crews living continuously on board.