{"id":41818,"date":"2024-08-03T07:38:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T02:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=41818"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:51:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T09:21:32","slug":"axiom-mission-4-or-ax-4-is-a-private-spaceflight-to-the-international-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/axiom-mission-4-or-ax-4-is-a-private-spaceflight-to-the-international-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Indian Astronauts Selected for Axiom-4 Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in the News?<\/li>\n<li>About Axiom-4 Mission<\/li>\n<li>Mission Objectives<\/li>\n<li>Key Features<\/li>\n<li>About International Space Station (ISS)<\/li>\n<li>Participating Space Agencies<\/li>\n<li>News Summary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in the News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India has shortlisted two astronaut-designates for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>About Axiom-4 Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4) is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station.<\/li>\n<li>It is operated by Axiom Space and uses a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.<\/li>\n<li>The flight is in collaboration with <strong>NASA<\/strong> and will be the fourth flight of Axiom Space after <strong>Axiom Mission 1<\/strong>, <strong>Axiom Mission 2<\/strong> and <strong>Axiom Mission 3<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Scheduled to launch in 2024, Axiom-4 will continue the company&#8217;s pioneering efforts to establish a sustainable human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Mission Objectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Commercial Space Endeavours:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Axiom-4 aims to <strong>facilitate commercial activities in space<\/strong>, including scientific research, technological development, and space tourism.<\/li>\n<li>The mission will help demonstrate the viability of commercial space stations as a platform for business and innovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>International Collaboration:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Axiom-4 is set to carry a <strong>diverse crew of astronauts from different countries<\/strong>, reflecting the growing international interest in space exploration.<\/li>\n<li>This mission will strengthen partnerships between nations and contribute to global space initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Research and Development:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The mission will support various scientific experiments and technological tests in the unique microgravity environment of space.<\/li>\n<li>Research areas include materials science, biology, Earth observation, and more, with the potential to yield groundbreaking discoveries and innovations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Key Features<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Spacecraft and Crew:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The mission will use a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.<\/li>\n<li>The crew will consist of professional astronauts and private individuals, including researchers and potentially tourists, who have undergone rigorous training for the mission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Duration and Activities:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Axiom-4 is expected to be a short-duration mission, <strong>lasting approximately 14 days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>During their time aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the crew will conduct scientific experiments, perform technology demonstrations, and engage in educational outreach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commercial Space Station Development:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Axiom Space&#8217;s long-term vision includes <strong>building the world&#8217;s first commercial space station<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/axiom-4-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\">Axiom-4 mission<\/a> is part of the company&#8217;s broader plan to eventually transition from the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/international-space-station\/\" target=\"_blank\">ISS<\/a> to their own independent orbital outpost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>About International Space Station (ISS)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>International Space Station is a modular space station launched in <strong>1998<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Modular stations can allow modules to be added to or removed from the existing structure, allowing greater flexibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>It is a large laboratory in space that allows astronauts to come aboard and stay for weeks or months to carry out experiments in microgravity.<\/li>\n<li>The first crew on the ISS arrived on November 2, 2000.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Objective:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>To conduct scientific research in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>It is the largest artificial object in space.<\/li>\n<li>It circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day.<\/li>\n<li>Currently, the ISS has eight solar arrays generating about 160 kilowatts of power total.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Altitude:<\/strong> 400 km<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Participating Space Agencies<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies:\n<ul>\n<li>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (<strong>USA<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (<strong>Russia<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (<strong>Japan<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>European Space Agency (<strong>Europe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Canadian Space Agency (<strong>Canada<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The station is divided into two sections:\n<ul>\n<li>The Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) \u2013 Operated by Russia,<\/li>\n<li>The United States Orbital Segment (USOS) \u2013 Operated by the US as well as many other nations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The ownership &amp; use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties &amp; agreements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India has selected Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).<\/li>\n<li>This mission is part of a joint ISRO-NASA effort, stemming from a Space Flight Agreement with Axiom Space Inc.<\/li>\n<li>Group Captain Shukla will serve as the prime mission pilot, with Group Captain Nair as the backup.<\/li>\n<li>Both astronauts will undergo training in the U.S. starting in August 2024.<\/li>\n<li>Their participation will contribute to scientific research, technology demonstrations, and enhance India&#8217;s human space program while strengthening ISRO-NASA cooperation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1. What is the Lower Orbit of the Earth?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) is an orbit with altitude ranging from 200\u2013300 km to 1600 km. In LEO, particles of different origin are encountered: protons, electrons, heavy ions, neutrons, and others.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2. What is Lagrange Point in simple words?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Lagrange Points are positions in space where the gravitational forces of a two-body system like the Sun and Earth produce enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion. These can be used by spacecraft as &#8220;parking spots&#8221; in space to remain in a fixed position with minimal fuel consumption.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/india-selects-two-astronaut-designates-for-upcoming-axiom-4-mission-to-international-space-station\/article68477978.ece#:~:text=Shubhanshu%20Shukla%20and%20Prasanth%20Balakrishnan,human%20space%20programme%2C%20says%20ISRO&amp;text=India%20has%20shortlisted%20two%20astronaut,to%20the%20International%20Space%20Station\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>India selects 2 crew members for Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Axiom Mission 4 (or Ax-4) is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":41819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-41818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}