Indian Microgravity Research Portfolio in upcoming Axiom-4 Mission
Home / Indian Microgravity Research Portfolio in upcoming Axiom-4 Mission

April 28, 2025

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since its inception is involved in science, engineering and technology to harvest the benefits of outer space for India and the humankind. Through 4000 sounding rockets and 236 missions achieved till date, ISRO has endeavored to build as well as enhance national capabilities in critical areas such as remote sensing, communication, navigation, disaster management and space sciences.

With the approval of Gaganyaan Programme, ISRO envisages to undertake human spaceflight missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and to lay the foundation of technologies needed for an Indian human space exploration programme in the long run. The vision for space in the Amrit kaal envisages including other things, creation of an operational Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and Indian Crewed Lunar Mission by 2040.

Human space flight missions provides a strong opportunity to pursue international collaborations. The first Indian to travel to space, Wing Commander (Retd.) Rakesh Sharma undertook his iconic mission in 1984 through such a collaborative effort. The official state visit of Hon'ble Prime Minster Shri.Narendra Modi to USA in June,2023 has led to another defining chapter in Indian space programme, in terms of a collaborative international human space mission. This mission with ISRO's Gaganyatri marks the visit of first Indian ever to the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, ISRO's Gaganyatri will carry out shortlisted Indian microgravity research experiments onboard ISS.

The field of microgravity research with potential applications in diverse areas such as human health, physical/ life sciences, material research, novel pharmaceutical development and biotechnology offers significant opportunities to the national scientific community. ISRO has shortlisted seven microgravity research experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators (PIs) from various national R&D laboratories/ academic institutions for implementation on International Space Station (ISS) during the upcoming Axiom-4 mission with ISRO's Gaganyatri:

S.No Experiment Title Institution/s
1 Impact of Microgravity Radiation in ISS on Edible Microalgae International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) & National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) ; Dept. of Biotechnology (DBT)
2 Sprouting Salad Seeds in Space: Relevance to Crew Nutrition University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad & Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad
3 Survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc)
4 Effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem), DBT
5 Analyzing Human Interaction with Electronic Displays in Microgravity Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc)
6 Comparative growth and proteomics responses of cyanobacteria on urea and nitrate in microgravity International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB); DBT
7 Impact of Microgravity on Growth and Yield Parameters in Food Crop Seeds Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Dept. of Space & College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala Agricultural University

These experiments will utilise available research facilities onboard ISS. Considering the safety driven operational philosophy as well as other mission constraints of human spaceflight missions, these shortlisted microgravity experiments are undergoing stringent evaluations and reviews on ground before launch.

The experience gained through this effort in implementation of these experiments will nurture a microgravity research ecosystem in the country resulting in induction of advanced microgravity experiments in various disciplines in Indian Space Programme.