Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has gone into quarantine before going to the International Space Station (ISS) under Axiom Mission 4. Along with him, the other three astronauts of the mission also joined this special quarantine process on Saturday. This process is considered very important to ensure an infection-free environment in space.
The International Space Station is a huge space laboratory located in low Earth orbit, which orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. It is a collaborative project of NASA, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada.
Mission will prove to be a milestone: Shubhanshu
Before joining the mission, Shubhanshu Shukla said, "I am confident that the Axiom mission will be successful. It will prove to be a milestone for commercial space flight." The four astronauts of the mission were bid farewell at an event organized by Axiom Space.
Four astronauts from four countries will be part of the mission
The Axiom 4 mission, which will be launched on June 8, includes astronauts from India, America, Poland and Hungary. Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Slavoj Uznanski from Poland, Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Peggy Whitson from America will be part of the mission. This will be Whitson's second commercial space mission.
From IAF pilot to astronaut
Lucknow resident Shubhanshu Shukla cleared NDA after studying at City Montessori School and joined the IAF. He joined the fighter wing in 2006 and has gained more than 2,000 hours of flying experience. He has flown many fighter planes including MiG-21, Sukhoi-30, Jaguar, Hawk.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule will be the medium of the mission
This mission will be launched from SpaceX's Dragon capsule via Falcon-9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The launch date will depend on the preparations of the mission.
Objective of Axiom 4
The objective of this mission is to conduct scientific experiments in microgravity, test new technology, promote international cooperation and spread awareness through educational activities. Axiom Space is an important step towards the establishment of private space station 'Axiom Station' in the future.