India Today's Akshita Nandagopal reports live from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, on the impending AX-4 space mission launch.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're joining us here on a special broadcaster on India today.
00:17I'm joining you live from Florida in America. This is the Kennedy Space Center,
00:22the very location where you're going to be seeing the launch taking place of the AX4 space mission.
00:27I'm Akshita Anandha Gopal and let's begin with the latest update that's coming in on this story.
00:33Let's focus first on the fact that you've got the launch expected at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
00:39That's as of now the expected time, but it's all dependent on the weather.
00:44Right now you can see it's sunny, but don't be fooled by that.
00:46There is a forecast of rainfall, which is what's got the SpaceX authorities right now
00:52a little unsure about whether launch will happen in the next few hours or not.
00:56Now, remember that besides weather, there were a couple of complications.
01:00We're talking about a liquid oxygen leak as well as other malfunctions.
01:05But that wasn't the reason for the delay. All of that has been plugged.
01:09Technically, we're ready to go. It's just a question of the weather gods holding up
01:12and not playing spoil sport.
01:14We'll be getting you all the updates here and the communication
01:17that comes in from the authorities over the next 30 minutes.
01:21weather uncertainties to technical snacks
01:27anticipation over historic Exxon 4 mission launch
01:32SpaceX navigating meteorological challenges
01:38India Today tracks the latest from ground zero
01:44India eyes return to space after 41 years
01:53Subhanshu Shukla set to re-script history
02:02We take you straight to the launch site
02:08Live from the Kennedy Space Center
02:15Space hero Subhanshu
02:20That is our top focus on India Today
02:23We're inside the Kennedy Space Center here in Florida of America
02:31Where I'm standing is essentially the tourist area
02:34where people are allowed at a certain fee
02:36And what you'll see in acres and acres of the Kennedy Space Center
02:40is these kind of monuments that you see behind me
02:44Essentially tracing down the journey of America in space
02:49Essentially mankind's journey in space as well
02:52So I'm going to show you around some of the highlights and landmarks
02:55that have been put on display here at the Kennedy Space Center
02:59So there are an array of rockets here
03:01The one that you see with the 19 sign
03:04That is the Delta rocket
03:05That helped ensuring essentially that television reaches all of us
03:10It launched that satellite into space
03:13The one that you see here close by
03:15And I'm going to show you
03:17Take it a little afar to show you what exactly this looks like
03:20This is Juno 1
03:22Which was at a time of great competition with Russia
03:25With the Soviet Union
03:26That US launched this into space
03:29And you've got a whole lot of rockets here
03:31But I think the one that I want to show you
03:32Which I'm most excited by
03:34Is this one right here
03:35Just look at that giant, that mammoth one
03:37This is Apollo 1
03:38Which was supposed to be the first manned mission for America
03:43Didn't happen of course
03:44It was a failed mission
03:45But there were many, many lessons that were learned from here
03:48For us in India at ISRO also
03:51Of course we've been looking to learn from each of these missions
03:55Each of these rockets that were put in space
03:58But just look at the wide array here
04:00And that tells you about America's deep history in space
04:03Each of these rockets of course
04:06Tell a story of mankind's leap in research
04:10And in exploring space
04:12Each of it has helped us
04:13With so many technological leaps as well
04:17And for India of course
04:19We'll be hoping that very soon
04:20We'll also have an array of such rockets
04:24So much of story to talk about
04:26The AX4 mission is one step also
04:29Towards making that dream a reality
04:32This is Akshita Nandagopal
04:34Reporting from the Kennedy Space Center
04:35In Florida for India Today
04:37In a historic liftoff for commercial space exploration
04:47The AX4 mission is pushing boundaries
04:50Not just in space technology
04:52But in who gets to fly
04:54The AX4 crew comprises four private astronauts
05:02Each representing a leap in space democratization
05:06This time it is not just professional astronauts
05:11Or villainaires
05:12But a mix of train specialists
05:14And pioneers from multiple countries
05:16The international human space flight mission
05:21Is helmed by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson
05:24And will launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center
05:28It will carry India's group captain Subhansho Shukla
05:31Along with European mission specialists
05:33Slavo's Vishniasky and Tibor Kapu from Hungary
05:37For a 14-day expedition to the International Space Station
05:41After taking off at 5.30pm on 11th June
05:47The mission will reach and dock at the International Space Station
05:51In the lower earth orbit
05:53The mission is expected to conduct
05:55At least 60 different space research experiments
05:58From various global institutions
06:00The Indian Space Research Organization
06:05ISRO is spending 550 crore rupees
06:08In its collaboration with AXEOM space
06:11Eight different research experiments by India
06:15Are being carried out by Shukla
06:17In its time on the International Space Station
06:20From muscle regeneration
06:22To cyanobacteria growth
06:24The AXEOM 4 mission will be flying
06:27On SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft
06:29With Shukla being the first Indian
06:31To ever pilot a Dragon
06:33Having been used in 51 different space missions
06:36Dragon is the first ever
06:38Privately made spacecraft
06:40Capable of carrying humans
06:42To and from the International Space Station
06:45Bureau Report, India Today
06:47So as we get set for that space mission
06:52And keep our fingers crossed
06:53That it's happening in the next 24 hours
06:55Let's talk about what makes it so historic
06:58The fact that you'll have an Indian in space
07:01For the second time in four decades
07:03And also the first Indian ever
07:05To go to the International Space Station
07:07Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla
07:09Is the chosen one
07:10Remember he's part of the Gaganyan mission
07:12That's when his name first came to the fore
07:14But there are four astronauts
07:15Part of ISRO's Gaganyan mission
07:17Why was Group Captain Shukla
07:19The chosen one among all of the others
07:21Our next report tells you why
07:23Not all heroes wear capes
07:36Some wear a space suit
07:38And carry a nation's pride into orbit
07:41After 40 years
07:49An Indian is all set
07:50For a space sojourn
07:51And the chosen one
07:53Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla
07:55Who's part of the AX4 mission
07:58Shukla became a household name
08:03In February 2024
08:05When Prime Minister Modi
08:06Formerly introduced us
08:08To the Gaganyan astronauts
08:10Months later
08:23This time is our time
08:26Time is our time
08:27Countdown is our time
08:31And our rocket is our time
08:34Months later
08:37When the Astro Nasser tie-up
08:39Led to the AX4 mission seat
08:40For an Indian astronaut
08:42Shukla was the chosen one
08:44For him
08:45It's a dream come true
08:47And his journey
08:48Is one that will inspire
08:50Willians
08:51I'm excited about all the aspects
08:55Of this mission
08:55Starting with the first time
08:57That we will be in a position
08:59To observe the Earth
09:00From a vantage point
09:01That only a handful of people
09:03On this planet
09:04Have ever experienced
09:05And after that
09:07The experience of
09:09Floating in microgravity
09:11And you know
09:12Everyday activities
09:13That seem so simple for us
09:14Like walking
09:15Sleeping
09:15Eating
09:16Or you know
09:17Drinking water
09:18They all become
09:19Very different
09:20Once you are up in space
09:21So I'm really looking forward
09:22To having that experience
09:24In space
09:25Shukla was inducted
09:29In the IAF
09:30In June 2006
09:31And as a seasoned pilot
09:33He has over 2,000 hours
09:35Of flying experience
09:37A native of Lucknow
09:39Shukla has gone
09:40From an IAF officer
09:41To now astronaut
09:43Captain Shukz
09:48As he's fondly called
09:49Has spoken repeatedly
09:50Of how Rakesh Sharma
09:52Has also been
09:53A huge source
09:54Of inspiration for him
09:55Being commander
09:58Rakesh Sharma
09:59Who was the first Indian astronaut
10:00He has been
10:02Like a mentor to me
10:03At every step
10:04In this journey
10:04He has always been there
10:06To guide me
10:07You know
10:07How to navigate
10:08This entire journey
10:10Right from the time
10:11Of selection
10:11Till this mission
10:13He's also from
10:15The Indian Air Force
10:16A test pilot
10:17Like I am
10:17So we share
10:18A lot of common things
10:19Between us
10:19Group captain Shukla's
10:23Journey to space
10:24Is one every Indian
10:26Will watch
10:27With pride and awe
10:28As he takes flight
10:30With the prayers
10:31Of a billion Indians
10:32He carries our hopes
10:36Beyond the sky
10:37Captain Shukla
10:38A pioneer
10:39Charting India's path
10:41Through the universe
10:42Puro Report
10:43India Today
10:4414 days in space
10:49And these 14 days
10:51At the International Space Station
10:52Is going to be
10:53Extremely crucial
10:54Like I said earlier
10:55For future space missions
10:57As well
10:57Why is that?
10:59Well a couple of reasons
11:00But most importantly
11:01The spotlight
11:02Is going to be
11:02On about 60 research
11:04Experiments
11:05That will be conducted
11:06In the course
11:07Of those 14 days
11:08There are hand-picked
11:09Experiments
11:10That ISRO
11:11Also is hoping
11:11To learn from
11:12Which captain Shukla
11:13Will be conducting
11:14These are largely
11:15To do with
11:16Agriculture
11:17To see where the seeds
11:18Multi-variety seeds
11:19Actually germinate in space
11:21So captain Shukla
11:22Is taking some seeds
11:23With him
11:23Which have been
11:24Picked by ISRO
11:25Besides that
11:26Also a lot of focus
11:27On what space
11:29And microgravity
11:30Does relate
11:31To the human body
11:32That's key to learnings
11:33For the Gaganyan mission
11:34Details
11:35In our next story
11:3614 days in space
11:43For an all-important
11:44Space mission
11:45Captain Shubhanshu Shukla
11:47Is one of the four astronauts
11:49Part of the AX-4
11:51Space mission
11:52And 14 days
11:53Will be spent
11:54On board
11:55The International Space Station
11:57And in those two weeks
12:00The team will conduct
12:01Many crucial science experiments
12:04Beside Shukla
12:05Who is the pilot
12:06Of the mission
12:07The commander
12:08Peggy Wilson
12:08And mission specialists
12:10Wisniewski
12:11And Tibor Kapu
12:12Are part of this mission
12:14And they have
12:15Several objectives
12:16To achieve
12:16With experiments
12:17That could greatly help
12:19In future space missions
12:20And other astronauts
12:22Several big takeaways
12:25Will emerge
12:25From this mission
12:26As research studies
12:28On supporting astronauts
12:29With insulin-dependent diabetes
12:31Will be taking place
12:33There will also be
12:34An examination
12:34Of microgravity's impact
12:36On the brain
12:37And cognitive risks
12:38Physiological and psychological
12:41Data will be collected
12:42From astronauts
12:43To understand
12:44How humans adapt to space
12:46There will also be studies
12:47On impact of space flights
12:49On joints and blood flow
12:51Investigating cancer growth
12:52In space
12:53And the effects
12:54On blood stem cells
12:55During space flight
12:57One of the most
12:59Interesting experiences
13:00Involves tardigrades
13:02Or water bears
13:03Microanimals
13:04That can survive
13:05Harsh space experiments
13:07These tests
13:08Could offer insights
13:09Into the possibility
13:11Of life beyond earth
13:13Captain Shukla
13:15On behalf of ISRO
13:16Will also be conducting
13:17Several experiments
13:19Like investigating
13:20The physical
13:21And cognitive impact
13:22Of computer screens
13:23In microgravity
13:25Skeletal muscle dysfunction
13:26In microgravity
13:28And there will also be
13:29Seed varieties
13:30That will be taken
13:31To space
13:31As ISRO
13:32Wants to look
13:33Into the impact
13:34Of space flight
13:35On germination
13:36And growth of crop seeds
13:38And examining
13:39Space flight impacts
13:40On six crop seed varieties
13:42The AX4 mission
13:45Will provide great insights
13:47For India's
13:48Gaganyan mission
13:49And as is evident
13:50In ISRO's research list
13:52There is a great deal
13:53Of focus
13:54On agriculture
13:55In space
13:56Puro report
13:58India today
13:59So we have told you
14:03All about
14:04This particular mission
14:05The AX4 mission
14:06Let me take you
14:08Back in time
14:08Four decades ago
14:10When you had
14:11Rakesh Sharma
14:11Scripting history
14:12As the first ever
14:13Indian to go to space
14:14There are quite a few
14:16Similarities between
14:17Then and now
14:18Between Rakesh Sharma
14:19And group captain
14:20Shubhansha Shukla
14:21He has of course
14:21Learned so much
14:22From Rakesh Sharma
14:23As well
14:24Take a look
14:24At our next report
14:25As we show you
14:26What happened
14:27Way back then
14:28Forty years ago
14:29That could just
14:30Be repeated now
14:31Forty years after this moment
14:43An Indian is headed to space
14:46Rakesh Sharma scripted history in 1984
14:51As he became the first Indian to head to space
14:55Wing commander Sharma was on board Soviet Union's Soyuz T-11 and was in space for seven days
15:05Rakesh Sharma was stationed on board Soviet Union's Salyu 7 orbital station
15:13Remember this iconic moment when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi spoke to Sharma while he was in space
15:23After 40 years
15:39Captain Shukla will be scripting
15:41A whole lot of historic verse
15:43While Sharma spent seven days in space
15:49Shukla is poised to spend two to three weeks in space
15:54Another first group captain Shukla will be stationed at the International Space Station
16:02The first Indian to do so
16:05Wing commander Rakesh Sharma who was the first Indian astronaut
16:09He has been like a mentor to me at every step in this journey
16:13He has always been there to guide me
16:16You know how to navigate this entire journey
16:18Right from the time of selection till this mission
16:21He is also from the Indian Air Force
16:24A test pilot like I am
16:26So we share a lot of common things between us
16:28And I think he understands very well
16:32The kind of challenges
16:33The kind of preparation that we need
16:36For executing this mission
16:38So it was great to have him on my side
16:41While I was navigating this journey
16:43After Rakesh Sharma
16:46Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to script history for India
16:50And thereafter
16:51Hopefully we will see many more Indians
16:55Headed to space
16:56As part of ISRO's Gaganyan mission
17:00Bureau report
17:02India Today
17:03Shubhanshu Shukla is all set to soar to space
17:09With the hopes, the dreams of billions of Indians
17:12He is very, very excited
17:14But what a journey
17:15An inspirational journey truly
17:17For Captain Shukla as well
17:18Why do I say that?
17:20Here is someone who is an IAF test pilot
17:22From Lucknow
17:23Who is now in Florida
17:24Set to carry on his shoulders
17:26The dreams of billions of Indians
17:29Here is his journey
17:30Captain Shukla
17:39India's first captain to ISS
17:43Reads a poster outside a modest home in Lucknow
17:47This is the house where dreams defied gravity
17:53Where group captain Shubhanshu Shukla once studied
17:57Silently filled his NDA form
18:01And disappeared during his sister's wedding
18:04To write the exam that would script his destiny
18:08The sister marriage was in the house
18:10And no one knows about
18:12Not even one person about
18:14This kid's exam is tomorrow
18:16And he is going to do that
18:18Next day morning when the vidai function was going on
18:21Each and everyone is screaming, crying
18:23My father was furious at that time
18:26Where is he?
18:27And after some time he was coming back
18:29Rushing on the bicycle
18:31Born and brought up in Lucknow
18:34Shukla is set to become India's second astronaut
18:38To go into space
18:40His mother still sees him
18:42As the same curious, innocent boy
18:46His father Shambhu Shukla shares the moment of immense pride when Prime Minister Narendra Modi
18:52Presented his son with the coveted astronaut wings
18:59His father Shambhu Shukla shares the moment of immense pride when Prime Minister Narendra Modi
19:07Presented his son with the coveted astronaut wings
19:14His father Shambhu Shukla shares the moment of immense pride when Prime Minister Narendra Modi
19:17Presented his son with the coveted astronaut wings
19:22His father Shambhu Shukla shares the moment of immense pride when Prime Minister Narendra Modi
19:25And we were also talking about it
19:27It was very good
19:28It was very good
19:29It was very good
19:30It was very good
19:31It was very good
19:32It was very good
19:33It was very good
19:34It was very good
19:35It was very good
19:36It was very good
19:37It was very good
19:38It was very good
19:39In this particular narrow lane
19:40There is a house of Indian astronaut
19:43This is the lane
19:44A typical moholla of Lucknow
19:47And from this space
19:49From this area
19:50A man can achieve success
19:53And the height of a success
19:55Is not limited to the sky
19:58Because it has touched the space now
20:01From this very street in Lucknow
20:04To the stars
20:05Shubhan Shushukla's journey
20:08Will inspire more youngsters
20:10To dream big
20:11With Samarth Srivastav
20:14Bureau Report
20:15India Today
20:21So many important
20:23And rather fun
20:24Titbits that we are learning about the AX4 space mission
20:27And one that you can watch out for
20:29Is the food that Captain Shukla eats
20:31You very often hear about how
20:33The food on board the International Space Station
20:35Could get a little mundane
20:36And a little boring
20:37That's not going to be the case this time
20:39Because for Captain Shukla
20:40He will get a bit of taste of home
20:42When he goes to space as well
20:44A lot of Indian delicacies hand picked
20:47Will be making its way on board the AX4 space mission
20:50All the way to the International Space Station
20:52A bit of desi swath in space
21:03As billions await Captain Shubhan Shushukla's space sojourn
21:07He gets to take a little bit of home with him
21:10What are we talking about?
21:11Well the astronauts on board the International Space Station
21:19Will get some yummy Indian food during their two weeks stay
21:23From Moong Halwa to Amras
21:26A bunch of Indian delicacies have been hand picked
21:29For the AK-4 astronauts
21:31While NASA's protocol for astronaut foods
21:34Is to be followed strictly in the AK-4 mission
21:38The Indian Space Research Organization officials
21:41Said a few Indian food items
21:43Would be available for Group Captain Shukla
21:46I am carrying a few delicacies from India
21:48You know we have a very rich culinary culture
21:52And so a few of the items that I am carrying are mango nectar
21:57I am also carrying moong dal halwa and carrot halwa
22:01Some of them are my favourites
22:03And I am so happy to be able to carry them
22:05Share it with my colleagues and also the astronauts
22:08Who are on the station right now
22:09A video emerged from months ago
22:11When Captain Shukla and the other three crew members
22:14Underwent a taste test to choose the food of their choice
22:19Today was a food tasting session
22:21So as you see we have a long list of food items
22:26That we had to try and you know give scores
22:29Whether we like it, not like it
22:31And based on the feedback that we give today
22:33The food items would be packed
22:35And they will be sent to the station
22:37For us to consume during our mission
22:39For Captain Shukla, as his crew mates fondly call him
22:43He will get some Ghar Ka Khana in space
22:46And the menu variety has been carefully curated
22:49To also ensure that the Gagan Yarn mission
22:51Will also see more Indian flavours in the spotlight
22:55Bureau Report, India Today
22:57That's all we have time for on this broadcast
23:02Thanks very much for tuning in
23:04And as always here on India Today
23:06We'll be getting you all the updates on the AX4 space mission
23:09I'm Akshra Tananda Gopal signing off for the moment
23:11But we'll be getting you all the updates from here
23:13The Kennedy Space Centre in the hours going forward
23:16Thanks for tuning in, good night