It’s Day Four for Indian Air Force group captain Shubhanshu Shukla — 'Shux' to his co-passengers on the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) — at the International Space Station (ISS). The Indian astronaut’s trip from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) — only the second after Rakesh Sharma famously said "saare jahan se achha" to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi about how he viewed India from the galaxy — has come with a hefty price tag though.
While Sharma jetted into space aboard a Soyuz T-11 in April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme, India has coughed up a whopping $70 million (Rs 599 crore) for a seat to reach the ISS. The four-member crew comprises commander Peggy Wilson of Axiom, astronaut Shukla and mission specialists Sławosz 'Suave' Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary — all three countries sending a second man to space for diverse research studies and global outreach efforts.
ISRO's enormous budget for space research has always polarised public opinion — and it’s no different this time. The $70 million ticket for a seat in an Ax-4 mission is a notch above other private space programmes like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. A person taking a trip to space with Blue Origin needs to pay $150,000 as a refundable deposit, while a ticket was once auctioned off for $28 million. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic tickets haven’t been put on sale yet, but were earlier priced at $600,000.
The stark difference in cost is primarily owing to the duration of the journey and the destination. While Blue Origin’s recent trip lasted only 11 minutes, those on Axiom-4 are on a visit to the ISS and will spend two weeks there. The other three individuals who earlier paid Axiom for their missions are real estate investor Larry Connor, Canadian investor Mark Pathy, and former Israeli fighter pilot Eytan Stibbe.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Axiom CEO Tejpaul Bhatia clarified that the cost is not only for a seat, but includes a ‘yearlong programme’ to become a trained astronaut. Axiom Space’s private astronauts are trained as per NASA standards, however, though not as rigorously as NASA astronauts. The rockets are not manufactured by Axiom Space but it enters into contracts with companies like SpaceX.
The ticket price, in Bhatia's words, is like a “a drop in the bucket” compared to the billions spent on national space initiatives like the Apollo programme. The training that Shukla underwent for it was extensive — between eight months to a year — involving partnerships with NASA, SpaceX, ESA, and Jaxa. Each astronaut has to undergo 700 to 1,000 hours of training in safety, health, ISS systems and launch operations.
What is the return on investment (ROI) in Sharma’s case, except the many brownie points gained from being considered among the handful of countries to have sent a citizen to space? ISRO says it wants to use Shukla’s experience as it wants to launch the country’s first-ever human space flight in 2027 and also has ambitious plans to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
The update of the research, according to the Day Three bulletin released on the Axiom website, says: ‘’Shux focused on the space microalgae experiment, deploying sample bags and capturing images of the algae strains. These tiny organisms could play a big role in the future of space exploration, offering a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source for long-duration missions.’’
Commander Wilson’s exploration, meanwhile, promises to contribute to cancer research as she captured imaging samples that could unlock new insights into how cancer behaves under the unique stressors of microgravity. This research, in collaboration with the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, could pave the way for cancer treatments back on earth — especially for aggressive, metastatic cancers.
Finally, why is the vehicle for Ax-4 named Grace? Commander Whitson said: "Grace is more than a name. It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth. It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit, and the unmerited favour we carry with humility.’’
