Previous Year Question

All three space missions encourage and support microgravity research.

I. Axiom-4

Axiom-4 was a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla participated in it as the mission pilot.

The mission included Indian microgravity experiments. These included studies concerning the survival and reproduction of tardigrades, human muscle regeneration, microalgae, cyanobacteria, crew nutrition and human-machine interfaces.

Therefore, Axiom-4 encourages and supports microgravity research.

II. SpaDeX

The primary objective of SpaDeX was to demonstrate the technology of rendezvous, docking and undocking between two small spacecraft.

The spent fourth stage of PSLV-C60 launched with it was converted into the POEM-4 orbital platform. The POEM platform provides the scientific community with an opportunity to conduct in-orbit microgravity experiments for approximately three months.

POEM-4 carried a total of 24 payloads. These included experiments concerning plant growth, the growth kinetics of gut bacteria, space robotics and the testing of different technologies in microgravity.

Therefore, the SpaDeX mission also encourages and supports microgravity research.

III. Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan is India’s human spaceflight programme, under which a crew is planned to be sent into a Low Earth Orbit of approximately 400 km.

Sending humans into orbit develops the capacity to conduct microgravity experiments in life sciences, human physiology, materials science and other fields. Activities for developing microgravity experiments related to Gaganyaan have also been initiated.

Its astronaut-training programme also includes microgravity familiarization through parabolic flights. Therefore, Gaganyaan also encourages and supports microgravity research.