The first Indian on the ISSby Ajey Lele
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| It may seem bit surprising that a nation like India, with a highly successful space program, had not prioritized sending astronauts to space untol now. But this strategy was driven by a careful rationale. |
Axiom Space conducted its first commercial mission to the ISS, Ax-1, in April 2022. The Ax-4 mission faced multiple delays before finally launching. Originally scheduled for takeoff on May 29, the mission was postponed seven times due to various reasons, including unfavorable weather conditions, a liquid oxygen leak in a Falcon 9 engine, and concerns about an air leak in one Russian module on the ISS.
It may seem bit surprising that a nation like India, with a highly successful space program, had not prioritized sending astronauts to space untol now. But this strategy was driven by a careful rationale. For all these years, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was focusing on building core capabilities in satellite technology, launch vehicles, and sensor technologies. There was also a strong emphasis on developing systems that would enable space missions to be carried out in a highly cost-effective manner. This approach allowed ISRO to achieve significant milestones, such as the Chandrayaan 1 lunar orbiter mission in 2008 missions and the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in 2013. For all these years, ISRO laid a solid technological and operational foundation for its space program.
India launched its first satellite in 1975 with assistance from the Soviet Union. By 1980, the country had indigenously developed its own satellite launch vehicle and earned the distinction of being a spacefaring state. Since 1980, India has launched numerous satellites, primarily into low Earth orbit (LEO). Since the beginning, India’s space program has been shaped by a strong socioeconomic foundation, with a focus on addressing the country’s developmental needs. As an agriculture-based economy, India has prioritized satellite technology for weather and climate monitoring, as well as for Earth observation. Over the years, ISRO has concentrated on everyday applications such as satellite-based communication, weather forecasting, resource mapping, and disaster management. The idea behind investments in space technology has been aimed at supporting agriculture, education, land and water resource management, telemedicine, and rural development.
Over the past five to six decades, ISRO’s programs have directly benefited many Indians across various sectors and have played a significant role in poverty eradication. For India, investments in the space domain have primarily been about leveraging scientific and technological advancements to promote inclusive growth and achieve self-reliance.
However, it could be said that since the beginning of the 21st century, India has made some midcourse corrections to its space program. Ambitious projects such as missions to the Moon and Mars, once seen by some as extravagant investments suited only for developed nations, began to gain serious attention among the Indian scientific community. India realized that missions to planets have not only geopolitical relevance but also scientific significance. Various observations and assessments by important space stakeholders brought greater clarity to the scientific objectives of missions to the Moon, Mars, and asteroids.
Coinciding with the end of the Cold War, India initiated economic liberalization and implemented major economic reforms in 1991. These reforms reduced government control and encouraged private sector participation, creating new opportunities for commercialization in the space sector. As a result, ISRO was able to concentrate on core space research, while private space firms, along with public sector enterprises like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), began developing smaller electronic assemblies and structural units required for satellites, ground systems, and rockets.
Broadly, between 1980 and 2000, India carried out several successful space missions focused on achieving its socioeconomic development goals. After 2000, ISRO began operating on two parallel tracks: first, by expanding existing programs in remote sensing, communications, and meteorology; and second, by challenging the scientific community to engage in new and innovative projects with a broader scientific, societal, and commercial relevance. This marked the beginning of India’s pursuit of missions to the Moon and Mars on one hand, and the development of a satellite navigation constellation on the other.
In recent years, India has significantly accelerated the development of a commercial space ecosystem. ISRO has initiated ambitious programs such as Gaganyaan, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space aboard an Indian spacecraft, possibly by 2027. Looking ahead, India is also planning to develop its own space station. Clearly, the country is keen in gaining experience in human spaceflight and long-duration operations in space. India’s participation in the Axiom-4 mission should be viewed against this backdrop.
| Modern space diplomacy increasingly involves leveraging space technology and partnerships to enhance global cooperation and strengthen diplomatic ties. |
The Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilot Shukla the is only the second Indian ever to travel to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, another test pilot who flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft on April 3, 1984, as part of the Interkosmos program. Shukla had piloted the Ax-4 towards ISS and is also going to get it back to Earth after around two weeks at the ISS. He is also conducting seven specialized experiments during his stay, which have been jointly designed and developed by ISRO and India’s department of biotechnology. This marks the first time ISRO is conducting research under microgravity conditions. The experiments cover a range of fields, including human health, physical and life sciences, materials research, pharmaceutical development, and biotechnology.
The flight of Indian cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma in 1984 could be viewed as a classic case of space diplomacy at that time. The first offer to fly an Indian astronaut was made by President Brezhnev in 1978 to the prime minister, Morarji Desai, but there was no response to this offer. The same offer for a joint manned mission was made to Indira Gandhi in 1980, when she readily accepted the offer and then directed ISRO to coordinate with the armed forces and also suggested to plan and conduct a few meaningful scientific experiments in space. The mission could be regarded as having further advanced Indo-Soviet relations.
ISRO is a part of Ax-4 mission under their collaboration with NASA. This mission is under a commercial agreement and ISRO is known to have paid around $60 million for the seat to ISS. For more than a decade, NASA and ISRO are collaborating on several joint space missions and research projects. One major collaboration involves development and launching of NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Earth observation satellite. It is expected that within next few months this satellite would be launched.
Over the years, India and the United States have gradually deepened their cooperation in the space sector across multiple domains. India has also signed the Artemis Accords. Modern space diplomacy increasingly involves leveraging space technology and partnerships to enhance global cooperation and strengthen diplomatic ties. In this broader context, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s visit to the ISS should be seen as a significant milestone in India’s space diplomacy efforts too.
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