In New Headache For Space Mission, India's Biology Experiments Need Fresh Material

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's much delayed space sojourn has now caused a new headache. During his 14-day stay at the International Space Station, the Group Captain is supposed to undertake seven India-specific experiments. Sources in the Department of Biotechnology say at least six of these experiments need refurbishment or refreshment of the biological material or the reagents. 

The Indian agencies are actively resolving the issue, which is not uncommon for space missions, but is a new learning for India. This is necessitated because some specimens and reagents are time sensitive as are sealed into special containers to be flown into the microgravity environment. The Department of Biotechnology and ISRO have front ended these experiments. 

Shukla's space mission is already more than three weeks delayed from the initial date of May 29. The delay has been attributed to weather issues and technical glitches on the Falcon-9 rocket. Now, NASA has announced that the Axiom-4 mission will lift off "no earlier than June 19". 

As a consequence, the biological material is being replaced. Some of the Indian principal investigators are already stationed in the US to help out with this exercise.  

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's experiments in space will include studying 'water bears' - microscopic organisations - to understand how living things adapt to microgravity.

According to ISRO, the experience will nurture a microgravity research ecosystem back home, leading to the induction of advanced experiments that make up India's space programme.

India does not, at this time, have any deep experience of research in microgravity. In fact, this will be the first time an Indian will be working in a highly-advanced space laboratory, one in which many complex experiments have been undertaken over the last 25 years.

Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said Shukla will focus on 'space technology, space bio-manufacturing, and bio-astronautics' during his mission. Speaking on Sunday, Dr Singh said the "next big revolution will be biotechnology driven"; he emphasized that on the Axiom-4 mission the biological kits have been provided by the Department of Biotechnology to carry out exclusive experiments which have never been done before. "Very soon India will have a domain of space biology and space medicine." 

Shukla, an officer with the Indian Air Force, will grow the water bear, also called tardigrade and which can reach just 0.5 mm in length, during his time on the football field-sized space station. He will also grow special bacteria and study the effect of space on muscle cells, including trying to understand why astronauts face muscle loss in space.

The field of microgravity research has potential applications in diverse areas such as human health, physical and life sciences, material research, novel pharmaceutical development, and biotechnology, and 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 or academic institutions for implementation on ISS during the Axiom-4 mission.

The experiments are:

1. Impact of microgravity radiation on edible microalgae, for the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the National Institute of Plant Genome Research.
2. Sprouting salad seeds in space, which is relevant to crew nutrition and which will be monitored by the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad in Karnataka.
3. Survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the Eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
4. Effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity by the Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine.
5. Analysing human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity by the IISc. This experiment does not need new biological material. 
6. Comparative growth and proteomics responses of cyanobacteria on urea and nitrate in microgravity by the ICGEB.
7. Impact of microgravity on growth and yield parameters in seeds by the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and the Kerala Agricultural University's College of Agriculture.

Earlier Axiom Space Inc. said the Ax-4 research will comprise 60 scientific studies and activities from 31 countries, including also Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Europe. It is still not clear how many of the international experiments will need new material because of the delay. Earlier Axiom Space had announced that most of the experiments will be carried on the crew Dragon capsule that will ferry the astronauts. 

This will be the most research-oriented, science-related activity conducted during an Axiom Space mission aboard the ISS to date, underscoring the mission's global significance and collaborative nature to advance microgravity research in low Earth orbit, the company said.

Shukla, who is the Mission Pilot, will be accompanied by Commander of the Mission Dr Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and a biochemist, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.