ISRO’s Gaganyatri to carry out microgravity research experiments during upcoming Axiom-4 mission

Axiom Mission 4 crew, from left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyatri to carry out shortlisted microgravity research experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, as per an official statement from ISRO. The Axiom-4 mission (Axe-4), which Gaganyatri Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 8.

The ISRO has shortlisted seven microgravity research experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators (PIs) from various national Research and Development laboratories, academic institutions for implementation on the ISS during the upcoming Axiom-4 mission with its Gaganyatri. The field of microgravity research with potential applications in diverse areas such as human health, physical/life sciences, material research, novel pharmaceutical development and biotechnology offers significant opportunities to the national scientific community, the statement added.

The research includes the impact of microgravity radiation in the ISS on edible microalgae. Sprouting salad seeds in space: relevance to crew nutrition; survival, revival, reproduction and transcriptome of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space; effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity; analysing human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity; and impact of microgravity on growth and yield parameters in food crop seeds.

These experiments aim at utilising available research facilities onboard the ISS. Considering the safety-driven operational philosophy as well as other mission constraints of human spaceflight missions, these shortlisted microgravity experiments are undergoing stringent evaluations and reviews on the ground before launch. The experience gained through this effort in the implementation of these experiments will nurture a microgravity research ecosystem in the country, resulting in the induction of advanced microgravity experiments in various disciplines in the Indian Space Programme, it added.

The upcoming Axiom-4 mission with ISRO’s Gaganyatri marks the visit of the first Indian ever to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla is set to become the first astronaut from the ISRO to visit the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. He will also be India’s second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Rakesh Sharma earned the distinction of being the first Indian to go to space on board Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.

IAF Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair has been designated an astronaut, as part of the backup pilot of the Ax-4 if Group Captain Shukla is unable fly. Apart from Shukla, the Ax-4 mission also carries two mission specialists – European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary – to stay aboard the space station. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission.

Published on May 31, 2025