Brief Context
In News The launch of the Axiom-4 mission has been postponed again due to a technical issue with SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission It will spend 14 to 21 days on the ISS, conducting over 60 experiments in collaboration with 31 countries, covering fields like biomedical research, Earth observation, and materials science. Some experiments involve ISRO, offering India key insights for its upcoming Gaganyaan mission, now expected in 2027.
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Syllabus :GS3/Space
In News
- The launch of the Axiom-4 mission has been postponed again due to a technical issue with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
| Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. |
The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission
- It will spend 14 to 21 days on the ISS, conducting over 60 experiments in collaboration with 31 countries, covering fields like biomedical research, Earth observation, and materials science.
- Some experiments involve ISRO, offering India key insights for its upcoming Gaganyaan mission, now expected in 2027.
- The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation’s first mission to the space station in history and second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years.
- Shubhanshu Shukla will be India’s second national astronaut to go to space since 1984.
- The mission highlights Axiom Space’s role in advancing international access to low-Earth orbit.
| The International Space Station (ISS) – It was designed between 1984 and 1993, with construction of its components beginning in the late 1980s across the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe. – The ISS program unites international flight crews, various launch vehicles, worldwide operations and training facilities, communication networks, and the global scientific research community. |
Axiom’s Journey to ISS
- To reach the ISS, the mission must launch within a carefully calculated window that aligns the spacecraft’s trajectory with the ISS’s orbit.
- After liftoff, Falcon 9’s first stage separates and returns to Earth, while the second stage continues the ascent before releasing the Dragon capsule into orbit.
- The ISS, located about 400 km above Earth and moving at 28,000 kmph, requires the Dragon to gradually raise its orbit and adjust its path using 16 Draco thrusters via a series of phasing maneuvers.
- Unlike Russia’s faster Soyuz craft, Dragon typically takes about 28 hours to reach the ISS due to its newer design and the need to conduct in-flight tests.
- As it nears the station, Dragon performs a final maneuver, enters the 200-meter “keep-out sphere,” and uses GPS, cameras, and Lidar for autonomous docking.
- Once docked, safety checks are completed over 1–2 hours before the astronauts can board the ISS.
Source :IE
| Read this in Hindi: अंतर्राष्ट्रीय अंतरिक्ष स्टेशन के लिए एक्सिओम-4 मिशन(ISS) |