Astronaut Shukla's experiments on ISS of immense importance for future missions: Jitendra Singh

New Delhi, Jun 3 (PTI) Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will perform scientific experiments on the International Space Station that hold immense importance for future space missions, including the Gaganyaan project, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Singh said Shukla is set to travel to the ISS as part of Axiom Space mission next week and his role will be just as significant as of the other three astronauts participating in the commercial mission.

"It is a matter of pride for all Indians that Shubhanshu Shukla will be part of this international space mission. His role will be just as significant as anyone else involved," the minister said.

Shukla is part of the Axiom-4 mission which is expected to lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, no earlier than June 8 and will spend 14 days onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

"While Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian astronaut to go to space, it was a Soviet mission with limited scope for conducting experiments since India’s space technology was in its early stages. However, the situation today is different," Singh said.

Axiom-4 mission has lined up 60 experiments to be conducted by the four-member crew onboard the ISS, including seven planned by ISRO and five others that Shukla will participate in for NASA’s human research programme.

Union minister Singh said the experiments that Shukla will be conducting on the ISS are of immense importance for future missions – be it the Gaganyaan project or the Bharat Antariksh Station planned by India.

Shukla will study physical, cognitive and physiological responses in space as well as the impact of utilizing continuous electronic displays in microgravity, an important aspect for future long-duration space missions, the minister said.

Singh said Shukla’s research will also focus on skeletal muscle dysfunction in space and the evaluation of therapeutic strategies to counter these effects.

Shukla will carry out experiments on the revival, survival, and reproduction of extremophiles such as tardigrades – known for their resilience in extreme conditions.

Besides Shukla, the mission pilot for the Axiom-4 mission, the other crew include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, marking both European nation's first travel to the ISS in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years. PTI SKU SKU KVK KVK