All eyes on India’s first space mission in four decades; Shubhanshu Shukla on board

A historic space mission, piloted by Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on June 8 atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Coordinated by Axiom Space, a private commercial space enterprise, this mission, their fourth, is designated as the AX-4 mission. The event is being watched with excitement, as it marks the first time in nearly forty years that Indian, Polish and Hungarian citizens will venture into space.

A return to space after decades

The last Indian in space was Rakesh Sharma in 1984, who spent seven days and 21 hours aboard the Salyut 7 space station under a Soviet-led program. Similarly, Poland’s Mirosław Hermaszewski (1978) and Hungary’s Bertalan Farkas (1980) flew under Soviet Inter-Cosmos initiatives. After the USSR’s collapse in the 1990s, such opportunities vanished. Axiom Space is reviving international access to space four decades later, albeit on stiff commercial terms. With this mission, Axiom has facilitated space travel for crew members from eleven nations.

As of 2025, three other individuals of Indian descent—NASA astronauts Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, and Raja Chari—have completed space journeys. However, Rakesh Sharma remains the only Indian citizen who has done so until now. The first Indian space tourist was Gopichand Thotakura, who flew as a pilot on Blue Origin's New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission. In 2026, astronaut Anil Menon, also of Indian descent, is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft.

Mission events

Approximately 15 to 20 minutes after liftoff, the Crew Dragon C213 spacecraft will be placed into orbit for a rendezvous with the ISS. Once in orbit, American astronaut and flight commander Becky Withesen will take charge, with Shubhanshu Shukla assisting in piloting the spacecraft. They will be accompanied by Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Sławosz Uznański of Poland. After a 28- to 36-hour flight, the spacecraft will dock with the ISS, which orbits about 400 kilometres above Earth.

The docking process resembles mooring a yacht in a harbour or connecting two train coaches with a vestibule passageway. However, spacecraft docking has one critical difference: it must be completely airtight. In space without air, the seal must be flawless to prevent even the slightest air leakage, ensuring astronaut safety. Once docked, astronauts can move between the spacecraft and the ISS without spacesuits, like moving between train compartments, but in microgravity.

After docking, which may take several hours, the crew will exit the spacecraft and enter the ISS. Already aboard are NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nicole Ayers, and Johnny Kim; Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergei Ryzhikov, and Alexei Zubritsky; and JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi. The AX-4 crew of four will join them for a 14-day stay, during which they will conduct various scientific experiments. Upon mission completion, the AX-4 crew will return to Earth aboard the same Crew Dragon C213, with the journey lasting 17 to 20 hours.

Microgravity

Microgravity is NOT zero gravity. That fleeting sensation of floating when an elevator descends or a Giant Wheel begins its downward swing offers a small taste of microgravity. In space, astronauts experience this continuously—not because gravity vanishes, but because their spacecraft moves so rapidly sideways that it constantly "misses" falling back to Earth. This equilibrium between gravity's downward pull and the spacecraft's forward motion creates weightlessness.

When you sit in a car, the seat and floor push upward against you, counteracting gravity’s downward pull. This upward force is called the normal force, which we perceive as weight. If the car briefly leaves the ground after hitting a bump, the normal force disappears, and you enter freefall, just like an object falling under gravity alone. During freefall, gravity remains the only force acting on you, but without the opposing normal force, you no longer feel your weight. You experience ‘weightlessness’.

A spacecraft orbiting Earth is in perpetual freefall, which is why astronauts feel weightless continuously. This sensation arises from the absence of the normal force, creating the perception that your body is accelerating downward with gravity, even though you are actually in a state of constant, balanced motion.

Life in space

When astronauts first enter microgravity, their bodies and brains face a disorienting new reality. That sudden weightlessness creates a strange conflict between what their eyes see and what their bodies feel.

Imagine jumping into a deep pond and instinctively reaching for something to hold onto. That reflex kicks in in space, but there is nothing to grasp. Arms flail, legs wobble, and the brain struggles to determine, "Which way is down?"

On Earth, gravity defines orientation. In space, the absence of a clear "up" or "down" confuses the inner ear, which governs balance. Astronauts often feel upside-down or sideways, even when they are not. A simple head turn can feel like a rollercoaster spin, and some experience space sickness, similar to motion sickness, until their brains adapt, usually within a day or two.

Acclimatization to the space environment

Even basic tasks become puzzles in microgravity. Pouring juice? It forms floating blobs. Reaching for an object might send the body spinning, and "standing" still is impossible without gravity. Muscles accustomed to resisting Earth's pull weaken without constant use. Movements become exaggerated, and gentle pushes may send astronauts slamming into walls on the other end of the ISS.

Yet, adaptation is swift. Within days, the brain rewires spatial orientation, relying more on visual cues than gravity. Movements grow controlled, and floating feels natural. Many astronauts grow so fond of weightlessness that returning to gravity feels like leaving a "jacuzzi against their will.

Scientific experiments

During their two-week stay, the AX-4 crew will conduct nearly 60 scientific experiments. One key study involves seed germination in microgravity. Researchers from the Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences and IIT Dharwad will test seeds of fast-growing plants like green gram and fenugreek. On Earth, the gravity perhaps guides the roots to go 'down' shoots to go 'up'. They will closely observe the pattern of root and shoot development in absence of gravity's directional pull. This research could enable space agriculture, crucial for long-duration missions and ensuring food security of long duration space travelers. Additionally, the crew will carry six types of seeds, including rice, to study the effects of space exposure. These seeds will be returned to Earth, cultivated, and analyzed across generations to identify beneficial genetic traits.

Earlier this year, ISRO successfully germinated cowpea seeds in space aboard the PSLV C60 mission. The rocket's fourth stage housed a module where the seeds sprouted, proving germination is possible in microgravity. These studies are part of ongoing "space biology" research, with ISRO collaborating with Indian institutions to explore how life adapts beyond Earth's gravity.

The astronauts will also participate in eye-tracking experiments to study how spaceflight affects vision. In microgravity, eye movements become erratic, a critical area of study for future missions. Shubhanshu Shukla will lead six biological experiments with his crewmates during their ISS stay.

Axiom Space’s role

Axiom Space, a private company, organizes space travel for nations without independent programs, much like a tourism agency coordinating trips by leasing a bus and booking hotel rooms. It leases rockets and spacecraft from SpaceX and collaborates with NASA to facilitate access to the ISS. The AX-4 launch is Axiom’s fourth such mission.

Following ISRO’s deal with NASA, in August 2024, Shubhanshu Shukla and Balakrishnan Nair underwent intensive Axiom-led training. The experience gained from this mission is expected to aid India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

Currently, the ISS, a joint venture of Russia, the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Europe, and China's Tiangong station are the only two space stations. Axiom plans to build the first private space station, positioning itself as a competitor and offering space platforms to numerous countries and private enterprises. A space 'hotel' for routine space tourism lasting a few days is also in the offing. Missions like AX-4 help Axiom gain expertise.

Originally scheduled for late May, the AX-4 mission was delayed due to technical issues with the Crew Dragon C213 spacecraft. With those resolved, the launch is now set for June 8. As India, Poland, and Hungary eagerly await their next citizens in space, this mission marks a significant milestone in commercial space exploration.