In the ultimate leg of his house sojourn, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was a farmer, taking photographs of ‘moong’ and ‘methi’ seeds sprouting in petri dishes and inserting them right into a storage freezer on the International Space Station (ISS) as a part of a research on how microgravity influences germination and early plant improvement.
Captain Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 astronauts have spent 12 days on the orbital lab and they’re anticipated to return to Earth any day after July 10, relying on the climate circumstances off the Florida coast.
NASA is but to announce a date for the undocking of the Axiom-4 mission from the house station. The length of the Axiom-4 mission docked to the ISS is as much as 14 days.
“I am so proud that ISRO has been able to collaborate with national institutions all over the country and come up with some fantastic research which I am doing on the station for all the scientists and researchers. It is exciting and a joy to do this,” Captain Shukla mentioned in an interplay with Axiom Space Chief Scientist Lucie Low on Wednesday (July 9, 2025).
The sprouts experiment is led by two scientists — Ravikumar Hosamani of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and Sudheer Siddapureddy of the Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad.
Once returned to Earth, the seeds will likely be cultivated over a number of generations to look at modifications in their genetics, microbial ecosystems and dietary profiles, a press release from Axiom Space mentioned.
In one other experiment, Captain Shukla deployed and stowed microalgae, that are being investigated for his or her potential to supply meals, oxygen and even biofuels. Their resilience and flexibility make them preferrred for supporting human life on long-duration missions.
Captain Shukla additionally captured photos for the crop seeds experiment, the place six varieties will likely be grown over a number of generations post-mission. The purpose is to establish crops with fascinating traits for genetic evaluation for sustainable farming in house.
Captain Shukla mentioned his analysis duties on the house station spanned numerous domains and disciplines.
“Right from doing stem cell research and looking at the effect of microgravity on seeds to evaluating the cognitive load on astronauts while they are interacting with screens onboard the station. It has been fantastic. I feel proud to be this kind of a bridge between the researchers and the station and do the research on behalf of them,” he mentioned.
“One particular research I am really excited about is stem cell research where scientists are trying to explore whether it is possible to accelerate recovery or growth or repair injury by adding supplements to stem cells. It has been great to work in the Glove Box doing this research for them. I am really excited to be doing this,” Captain Shukla mentioned.
