According to ISRO, two Indian astronauts selected for the forthcoming Axiom-4 mission to the ISS have finished the first stage of training.

According to ISRO, the two Gaganyatris assigned to Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)—Prime-Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Backup-Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair—started their training in the USA in the first week of August 2024 with the aim of completing a joint ISRO-NASA effort to the International Space Station.


The Gaganyatris have successfully finished the first training phase.

According to the statement, the Gaganyatris have finished preliminary orientations for mission-related ground facility tours, preliminary mission launch phase overviews, SpaceX suit fit checks, and specific space food options during this training phase.

Furthermore, the training also included familiarization sessions with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and various onboard systems of the International Space Station, including photography from space, daily operations routine, and communication protocols.

One of the highlights of this phase was training for various types of emergencies in space, including medical emergencies, the space agency said.

Upcoming training will primarily address the remaining modules of the US Orbital Segment of the space station along with training towards conducting scientific research experiments in the microgravity environment during the mission. "In addition, the crew will train and perform different mission scenarios in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft."

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh in August had said that an Indian astronaut is likely to fly to the International Space Station by April next year as part of the NASA-ISRO collaborative initiative.