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The months preceding the launch of Axiom Mission 4, a private space flight to the international space station carrying four astronauts from four different countries, were filled with intense preparation at the base of the company in Houston.
For the crew pilot, the astronaut shubhanshu shukla, anticipation developed in an exponential way when he was preparing to become the first Indian to go in space in 41 years.
“It is a monumental event for me as an individual and our country as a whole,” Shukla, 39, told CBC News in an interview before the mission, which is scheduled for Thursday.
That he was the one who would return India to space strikes him at certain times, he said during a break in training, especially when he tried his space combination for the first time.
“I saw this Indian flag on my shoulder,” said Shukla, whose call signal is shuks, with a smile. “You think of that … what is the size.”
Space flight, which is operated by Axiom Space, based in Houston, with the support of NASA and India Space Research Organization (ISRO), is emblematic of a new era. Countries can be affected by walks of commercial companies to put their astronauts in space, where they can conduct experiences sponsored by national space agencies, rather than agencies spending time and money to build their own rockets.
It fits perfectly into India’s ambitions to quickly expand its space prowess and use the private sector to get there.
“ A huge responsibility ”
After several delays due to weather problems and equipment, the latest Axiom mission should be launched at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday. Astronauts will be on a dragon capsule of the SpaceX crew launched in the space by Falcon 9 Rocket.
The crew, led by the former NASA Peggy Whitson astronaut and also includes astronauts from Poland and Hungary, will spend two weeks of experience at the International Space Station.
Shukla will only become the second Indian national to go to space, according to the traces of Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, who orbit the earth for eight days in 1984 on a Soviet spaceship.
“It is a huge responsibility to inspire a young whole generation through my mission [and to] Wear hopes and dreams of a billion hearts, “said Shukla.
The Indian media reported that Shukla would carry a little India in space with him on the flight, including delights such as Mango Nectar, Moong Dal Halwa and Carrot Halwa.
Until recently, India’s space activity was controlled by the ISRO, but in 2023, the space agency opened its facilities to private companies, and investments flocked. The country has more than 250 space startups attracting millions of dollars.
“India aspires to become a very important actor in the space industry,” said Somak Raychaudhury, astrophysicist and vice-chancellor of Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana, near Delhi. “And he realizes that he must use the private sector.”
Great challenges
The country’s leaders are convinced that having a successful space program not only brings a soft power and prestige but also wealth.
But there are great challenges to come, according to Raychaudhury.
India is one of the five main players in space exploration, but its world market share is only 2%. The South Asian nation wants to get this up to 10% in the next decade.
The country produces many highly qualified engineers, but “very few of them remain in this type of sector,” said Raychaudhury.
Even having only a small percentage of the global space market, there are already many advantages for the economy of India, its 8 billion US dollars in industry and the 100,000 people it employs, he said.
Great ambitions
But the country is targeting even higher.
In August 2023, the Chandrayaan -3 mission managed to send a rover to the obscure side notoriously difficult to reach the moon to explore its South Pole – a first world.
His first human space flight, called Gaganyaan, is scheduled for next year. It aims to send several Indian astronauts to low terrestrial orbit for three days.
This would only do India only the fourth nation, after the United States, Russia and China, to have its own human space flight program.
The success of this mission will be essential, said Raychaudhury.
“India’s space industry has a record to be very frugal,” said the professor, projects being much cheaper than space programs in the United States, Russia or China.
“The question is whether the same quality can be obtained or not.”
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, for example, announced a great victory for India, cost less than the price of a single Boeing or Airbus plane.
Mars and also Venus in the views of India
In May, speaking at a world space conference in New Delhi, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, established more plans, in particular by building the country’s own space station to orbit the land during the next decade.
The country’s space agency focuses on the exploration of the moon, in order to send an Indian astronaut to walk on the surface by 2040.
“Mars and Venus are also on our radar,” promised Moda in his speech.
He ended his remarks by emphasizing how spatial exploration has the power to “inspire future generations” and push the country to “dream together”.
The students inspired
These dreams were fully exposed in a Mumbai school one morning in May, because hundreds of children used cardboard and plastic rods to build their own mini-fusions, barely longer than their forearms.
The children spent time discovering the upcoming space projects of India before launching the toy rockets outside.
“It was so fun,” exclaimed Reet Dhameja, nine years old
Another classmate, budding scientist Aarav Sanghvi, took badly to make sure that his rocket was perfect.
“I want to be a space engineer,” said the 10 -year -old player. “To create larger rockets for India.”
But asked him if he wanted to go to the space himself, he firmly shook his head.
“I want to do rockets. I don’t want to be astronaut.”
This feeling is precisely what the school programs are concentrated on, said the organizer of the Rajesh Ghangarde event, president of the Antariksh company, a awareness group that promotes spatial exploration.
“When we talk to students, we tell them that only 10 astronauts are going in space,” he said. “”[But] There are 10,000 spirits or hands working for this thing to happen. “”
Look | Astronauts describe what it was to spend 9 months at the ISS:
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