25 Years After Pokhran Sanctions, US Preps Red Carpet For Indian Astronauts

New Delhi: In what is being described as a milestone in Indo-US partnership in the science and technology sphere, US space agency NASA is set to welcome two Indian astronauts for the Axiom-4 spaceflight mission that will send four astronauts to the International Space Station.

ISRO has sent Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair – part of India’s Gaganyaan Mission – for training at Axiom Space and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. While Group Captain Shukla is the primary astronaut for the Axiom mission, Group Captain Nair is the back-up astronaut for the project.

What Is the Mission

The Axiom-4 mission, which will use the Falcon-9 rocket of Space-X and the Crew Dragon space module, aims to fly four astronauts to space. The launch is likely to take place next year if all works according to plan. The four astronauts include an American, a Hungarian and, Polish national and Indian.

The Indian astronauts – also called Gaganyatris – are Air Force pilots with extensive flying experience. They have also been trained as cosmonauts in Russia.

Senator Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA said, “We look forward to welcoming the first ISRO astronaut to the International Space Station! This is a monumental step forward for U.S.-India partnership in space.”

Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said NASA is opening up space to more nations and people. “We look forward to welcoming the first ISRO astronaut to the International Space Station,” he said. “The space station continues to serve as humanity’s home in microgravity where we are advancing human spaceflight, enabling science, and improving life on Earth for the benefit of humanity,” he added.

Big Shift In NASA-ISRO Ties

This collaboration between NASA and ISRO represents a seismic shift from the US’ equations with the Indian space agency in the 1990s. At that point, the US administration did everything to block the transfer of sophisticated cryogenic technology to power Indian rockets. It also imposed sanctions on ISRO after the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests.

The big thaw in ties came about in 2008 when India flew two NASA instruments on-board Chandrayaan-1 for free. ISRO at the time was still on US’ technology denial list.

India did not charge any travel ticket to NASA for ferrying its instruments all the way 384,000 kilometres away to the orbit of the moon. This partnership and India’s large heartedness resulted in the changing the geological history of the moon once and for all, with the joint discovery of the presence of water molecules, on what was till then considered a parched lunar surface. Since then, the two countries have not looked back, as the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy have been forging deeper ties and reaching for the stars.

The Axiom Role

Axiom Space, a commercial company that is acting as an intermediary between ISRO and NASA, has said in a statement that it had signed a “historic” spaceflight agreement with ISRO, announcing the intent to fly an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 4. It must be clarified that having a commercial intermediary is the US’s call, not ISRO’s.

Axiom Space has helped fly three private and commercial missions to the International Space Station in 2022, 2023, 2024. It has said that the signing of the agreement for Mission 4 “represents a pivotal moment for both the United States and India, exemplifying a shared commitment to expanding collaboration and capabilities, fuelling invention and innovation, and inspiring a new generation of space explorers”.

“India’s journey through space is filled with incredible achievements,” said Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space. “From the successful Chandrayaan missions to the ambitious Gaganyaan project, India has become a beacon of inspiration in the global space community.”

“As space becomes a key arena for commercial and scientific efforts, India, with its rich history in space exploration and clear leadership in technology and entrepreneurship, will be crucial in shaping the domain and advancing humanity’s presence in space,” he said, adding, “We look forward to working together with ISRO on this next mission.”

This new space collaboration between US and India also opens up possibilities of a partnership on US’ ambitious Artemis program to inhabit the Moon.