For Isro, benefits and learnings from the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will far outweigh the cost it has had to incur in sending Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux).The Rs 548 crore spent on the mission is a fraction of what India would have otherwise needed to spend on replicating the same training, exposure and systems-level experience, Isro chairman V Narayanan told TOI, in his first exclusive interview about the multinational commercial mission.Speaking from Houston, Narayanan said that the learning outcomes — spanning astronaut training (for two astronauts), mission operations, and hardware-software-human interface — cannot be measured purely in monetary terms. “For a country of 140 crore people, what we’ve spent is only marginal,,” Narayanan said. For that, he said: “We’ve gained access to infrastructure and experience that would otherwise require thousands of crores.” If one looks at the per capita cost on the Indian population, it adds up to around Rs 4 per head.Look Beyond Rupee FigureNarayanan, dismissing observations that Ax-4 is “just a commercial mission”, said discussions on such strategic missions must be rooted in long-term capability building rather than short-term financial arithmetic.“For a programme like Gaganyaan, which spans Rs 20,000 crore including follow-on missions, these early investments are necessary. Training, confidence, exposure, systems understanding — these are foundational,” he said.He added that maturity in public discourse is essential. “People must recognise that not all benefits can be quantified. But they can certainly be measured in preparedness and capability,” he said.Five TakeawaysNarayanan identified five key areas where Ax-4 will directly strengthen India’s human spaceflight capabilities: Training exposure, confidence building, operational experience, systems-and-process understanding, and cross-disciplinary learning.“Our astronauts trained in world-class facilities simulating space conditions, including microgravity and life-support systems. Each hour of training they’ve undergone would cost crores if we were to replicate the infrastructure ourselves,” he said.He added that interacting with seasoned astronauts — including those who have flown to space multiple times or performed several spacewalks — helped boost the confidence of Indian crew members and mission teams.Astronauts — Shux and his backup Group Captain Prashant Nair — learnt how to function in space as a team, handle real-time challenges, and carry out experiments. He said working on and observing the mission to ISS has given India insights into module design, layout, onboard systems, and processes that will feed into future Gaganyaan and space station designs.“We will, of course, have our own design and technology, but all this experience will help us develop those better,” he said. Isro EngineersNarayanan, who is leading efforts to ensure astronaut safety, said he has himself gained from observing operations in Houston. “From data handling to high-level system safety discussions, our understanding of the end-to-end process has grown. This cannot be acquired by simulation or literature review alone,” he said.He added that the experience is equally valuable for backroom mission teams and decision-makers, who will now have real-world references to draw upon while preparing for Gaganyaan. TOI had reported last week about some specifics the Isro team is learning back in Houston, where mission control for Ax-4 is.Space StationIndia plans to build its own space station after the Gaganyaan crewed flights. Narayanan said direct exposure to the ISS environment will inform the design, configuration, and operational planning of the proposed Indian facility.“We had only studied the ISS on paper. Now we are seeing it in action. We may not adopt the same model, but this will help us make informed design choices,” he said.
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