Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to return to India on August 17, 2025, Sunday after his visit to the International Space Station (ISS). Mr Shukla is also eager to share his experiences with friends and colleagues back home amidst the ISRO’s objective of maiden human spaceflight in 2027. Shubhanshu Shukla was in the United States of America for the training for the Axiom-4 mission to ISS for the past year. He is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown Lucknow soon after. Mr Shukla is expected to be back in the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23, as reported in PTI.
What were the scientific contributions made by Shubhanshu Shukla?
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has completed seven major experiments designed by the Indian scientific institutions under the ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre during his ISS stay-
1. Tardigrade Surrvivability
This experiment involved studying the robustness of the Indian tardigrades in the microgravity.
2. Muscle Development (Myogenesis)
Muscle loss and tissue regeneration were examined in this experiment.
3. Seed germination
Mr Shukla conducted seed germination experiments by cultivating the ‘moong’ and ‘methi’ seeds to assess the farming potential of the space.
4. Cyanobacteria research
Mr Shukla also conducted experiments on cyanobacteria strains on the ISS to study sustainability of humankind in space. Space driven photosynthesis and oxygen generation were also tested for the closed-loop life support.
5. Microalgae growth
One of Mr Shukla’s other experiments in the space focussed on micro-algae, tiny organisms that are being explored as a potential rich source of food in future space missions.
6. Cognitive performance
In this experiment, cognitive load and its adaptation to the space environments, were measured by Mr Shukla.
7. Material science
In this experiment, Shubhanshu Shukla analysed how new materials are affected by material science.
