Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission, called his home space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
In a conversation with V Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Shubhanshu Shukla, the Indian Gaganyatri presently on the International Space Station (ISS) due to the Axiom-4 mission, praised the work of the ISRO team in facilitating his safe journey to the ISS.
Narayanan inquired about Shukla’s health
During the call, the chairman conveyed his strong concern for Shukla’s health and asked about the different scientific experiments and activities taking place on the ISS.
Narayanan, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, highlighted the importance of carefully recording all experiments and activities after Shukla returns to Earth, as this will offer important insights and contributions for the advancement of India’s human spaceflight initiative, Gaganyaan.
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ISRO states that the Gaganyaan program seeks to showcase India’s ability to send a crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit, and the insights and expertise acquired from this mission will be essential for its achievement. Shubhanshu Shukla’s ISS mission has been completed as part of the ISRO-Axiom Spaceflight partnership.
Other high-rankings ISRO Officials also joined the conversation
The telephonic discussion included numerous high-ranking officials from ISRO, such as Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, who is the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and Chairman of the Program Management Council for the Human Space Programme; M Mohan, the Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC); Padmakumar E S, the Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU); M Ganesh Pillai, the Scientific Secretary of ISRO; and N Vedachalam, the former Director of LPSC.
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Shubhanshu Shukla shared information regarding the advancements and difficulties faced in the experiments at the space station, emphasizing their research goals and importance.
Isro stated that Dr. V Narayanan frequently interacted with Shubhanshu before the mission, offering support and inspiration for the expedition.