BENGALURU : Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Saturday spoke about the leverage the recent partnership with NASA and Axiom provide for the Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human spaceflight, scheduled for 2028.
During an online interaction with citizens, he said when one of the Indian astronauts goes to the International Space Station (ISS), the objective is not just experiments, but also the entire process of learning. “A Gaganyaatri flying to ISS will help us understand how India should prepare for Gaganyaan. When the astronaut goes through the flight experience, we can learn from how they conduct the mission and how the spacecraft enters the ISS. Working with an international crew who are already up there will give us good knowledge. The prime astronaut going on the mission will also get trained on how to conduct the mission,” Somanath said.
ISRO has also planned five experiments, some of which have been developed in the country and will be onboard Axiom-Mission 4, he announced. “We will also conduct some international experiments in collaboration with other space agencies which are currently under discussion and at development stages,” he said.
Somanath revealed about Chandrayaan-4, Venus mission and exploring exoplanets, which are at the discussion stage.