Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra, along with US Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and Deputy Principal National Security Advisor Jon Finer, met with officials of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), including two Indian astronauts, and NASA officials on December 17 at the US space agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Isro has partnered with Axiom Space, an American company specializing in human spaceflight, for the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, which is a significant collaboration between India and the United States, announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the United States in 2023.

The Ax-4 mission will see a Indian astronaut and team spend up to 14 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), conducting scientific research and experiments in microgravity.

The Indian astronaut is expected to carry out five experiments during his stay, providing valuable data that will facilitate future space missions, including India’s Gaganyaan project.

This mission will mark India’s first human presence aboard the ISS and the second human spaceflight sponsored by the Indian government, following Captain Rakesh Sharma’s trip in 1984.

As part of their preparation, two Indian astronauts, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his backup pilot, Group Captain Prashanth Nair, underwent training. at the Johnson Space Center.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is expected to pilot the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in spring 2025, marking a significant milestone in India-US human spaceflight collaboration.

Sharing photos from the meeting, Ambassador Kwatra said in a post on had the opportunity to discuss space cooperation between India and the United States, particularly in the human spaceflight program and in strengthening the partnership between the two private sectors in the fields of innovation and technology. . I was also happy to meet the Indian astronauts in training in Houston.

This visit is part of the broader vision outlined by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their June 2023 meeting to work together to “reach new frontiers in all sectors of space cooperation” and with India’s signing of the Artemis Accords, our two nations have reached an agreement. inflection point on collaboration between the civil, security and commercial space sectors,” the White House said during a press briefing.