The joint India-U.S. mission to fly two Gaganyatris to the ISS

Sub: Sci

Sec: Space sector

Context:

As participants of the Axiom-4 mission, Shubhanshu Shukla or Prashanth Nair will fly to the ISS along with two other astronauts.

More on the news?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that two of the astronauts selected for its maiden human spaceflight mission, ‘Gaganyaan’, will travel to the U.S. in the first week of August to train there for a mission to the International Space Station.
During the mission, the Gaganyatri will undertake selected scientific research and technology demonstration experiments on board the ISS as well as engage in space outreach activities.

What is the Axiom-4 Mission?

Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4) is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station which is operated by Axiom Space and uses a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Axiom-4 aims to facilitate commercial activities in space, including scientific research, technological development, and space tourism.
It is set to carry a diverse crew of astronauts from different countries, reflecting the growing international interest in space exploration.
Axiom-4 is expected to be a short-duration mission, lasting approximately 14 days.
Axiom Space’s long-term vision includes building the world’s first commercial space station.

What is the International Space Station (ISS)?

The International Space Station is a large space station assembled and maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies namely:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA)
- Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (Russia)
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Japan)
- European Space Agency (Europe)
- Canadian Space Agency (Canada)
The ISS is the largest space station ever built with the primary purpose to perform microgravity and space environment experiments.
Currently, the ISS has eight solar arrays generating about 160 kilowatts of power total.