New Delhi, March 18 (IANS). Indian Air Force (IAF) group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was selected for the International Space Station (ISS) visit, told IANS on Tuesday that the number of domestic startups in the space sector is increasing rapidly.
Shukla, who lives in Lucknow, will become the first Indian astronaut to travel to Orbiting Lab on ISS under a private mission.
In an exclusive conversation with news agency IANS, Shukla also praised the extraordinary talent that pursues the space startup economy in the country.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also appreciated India’s space startup journey at the mega show of American Podcaster Lex Freedman.
39-year-old Shukla has been selected as a pilot for Mission 4 (X-4) of the American company Axiom Space. This is a associate mission between NASA and ISRO.
Shukla appreciated the Indian Space Policy-2023 and said that it has helped to increase space capabilities in the country.
The Axiom Space will launch the mission in May using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in May.
“The speed from which the startups in India are growing in India are unprecedented,” Shukla said in a conversation with IANS from the headquarters of the Axiom Space in Houston, Texas.
He said that “it will increase further in the coming years, because we have extraordinary talents in the country.”
He said that today the country has a clear vision and policy for the space sector compared to earlier times.
Shukla said, “The Indian Space Policy 2023 presented a clear outline of where India to go in the future and it also includes the outline of programs, their expansion and then possibly landing on the moon by 2040.”
He added, “There is a huge demand for technology and expertise in the space sector, which makes a place for startups in this sector.”
Shukla said, “I think we are going to grow very fast in this sector in future.”
Recently, Prime Minister Modi told in his interview with Freedman how his government has opened the space industry to the private sector, due to which more than 200 startups are working in state -of -the -art space technology.
The Prime Minister also appreciated low -cost missions such as Chandrayaan Mission, which costs less than the amount spent by Hollywood in making a blockbuster film.
The Prime Minister also said that innovation at low cost creates respect for Indian talent globally.
Shukla further said that India has always been a space travel country and the country took time to reach this situation. Today, the country can create all aspects required for space mission such as its own technology, launch vehicle, satellite and ground stations.
He further said that the whole world respects ISRO to complete difficult missions at a very low cost.
During the 14 -day Ex -Space Mission, the crew will conduct scientific experiments, outreach programs and commercial activities in microgravity.
-IANS
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