Shubhanshus Journey: How Human-Rated Falcon 9 Makes Axiom 4 Possible

After 41 lengthy years since Rakesh Sharma made his ancient adventure to area, India is in spite of everything returning to the cosmos. This time, it is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Air Force who will pilot the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station on June 10, 2025. But at the back of this momentous fulfillment lies an engineering wonder that has revolutionised area trip – the SpaceX Falcon 9 human-rated release car.

A Rocket That Changed Everything

The Falcon 9 Block 5 is not only some other rocket; it is the international’s maximum dependable release car as of late. As of 04 June 2025, Falcon 9 had accomplished 482 out of 485 complete undertaking successes (99.4%), with Block 5 has a luck price of 99.8% (428/429). To put this in point of view, whilst you e book a flight price ticket, you do not be disturbed concerning the airplane crashing as a result of industrial aviation has a 99.99% protection report. The Falcon 9 is now drawing near identical ranges of reliability for area trip.

What makes this much more outstanding is that The Crew Dragon, together with the Falcon 9 rocket and related floor techniques, is the primary new, group spacecraft to be NASA-certified for normal flights with astronauts for the reason that area commute just about 40 years in the past. When NASA provides its human-rating certification, it manner the rocket has handed probably the most stringent protection checks imaginable.

Why Falcon 9 is Perfect for Axiom 4

For Axiom 4, the number of Falcon 9 Block 5 is not only sensible – you should. Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would be the pilot onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon, making him the primary Indian to talk over with the ISS. The stakes could not be upper.

The Ax-4 analysis supplement comprises round 60 clinical research and actions representing 31 nations, together with the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and international locations throughout Europe. This is not only any area undertaking – it is the maximum bold analysis undertaking in Axiom Space’s historical past, and it wishes a rocket device that would possibly not let down 31 nations value of clinical hopes.

The Falcon 9’s reusability issue could also be a very powerful. As of 04 June 2025, SpaceX has effectively landed Falcon 9 boosters 441 occasions. Individual boosters have flown as many as 28 flights. This confirmed monitor report of touchdown and reusing boosters manner the rocket launching Axiom 4 has most probably been examined more than one occasions ahead of, including some other layer of reliability.

India’s Giant Leap Forward

For India, this undertaking represents a lot more than simply sending one astronaut to area. Shukla is venerated and excited as he prepares to pilot the ancient Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS), leaving an indelible mark on India’s outstanding developments in human area exploration.

The timing is highest. ISRO has formally declared 2025 because the ‘Year of Gaganyaan’, making Shukla’s undertaking well timed and significant. Shukla’s revel in aboard the ISS will immediately receive advantages India’s personal Gaganyaan program, giving ISRO beneficial first-hand information about human spaceflight operations.

What’s in particular thrilling is the analysis element. Shukla will perform seven experiments designed by way of Indian establishments. These come with research on microgravity plant expansion involving vegetation like methi (fenugreek) and moong (inexperienced gram). Imagine the chances – if we will be able to develop Indian vegetation in area, it opens up fully new frontiers for meals safety and area colonisation.

The Safety Revolution: What Makes Falcon 9 Human-Rated

The human-rating of Falcon 9 represents a security revolution in spaceflight. NASA’s human-rating calls for no longer simply {that a} device be designed to be tolerant of failure and to give protection to the group although an unrecoverable failure happens, but in addition that astronauts aboard a human-rated spacecraft have some regulate over it. More importantly, the NASA CCP human-rating requirements require that the chance of a loss on ascent does no longer exceed 1 in 500, and that the chance of a loss on descent didn’t exceed 1 in 500.

But what precisely makes Falcon 9 human-rated? The solution lies in more than one layers of refined protection techniques:

Triple-Redundant Flight Systems: F9 has triple-redundant flight computer systems and inertial navigation, with a GPS overlay for added accuracy. SpaceX makes use of more than one redundant flight computer systems in a fault-tolerant design. The tool runs on Linux and is written in C++. This manner if one laptop fails, two others can nonetheless safely regulate the rocket.

TremendousDraco Launch Escape System: The crown jewel of group protection is Dragon’s built-in get away device. For release aborts, the tablet depends upon 8 TremendousDraco engines organized in 4 redundant pairs. Each engine generates 71 kN (16,000 lbf) of thrust. A redundant array of 8 TremendousDraco engines supplies fault-tolerant propulsion to be used as a release get away device. During the January 2020 abort check, the abort device propelled a Crew Dragon tablet to a distance of half of one mile in 7.5 seconds, accelerating the craft to 400 mph relative to the booster.

Advanced Parachute System: Dragon 2 makes use of a complete of six parachutes (two drogues and 4 mains) to slow down after atmospheric access and ahead of splashdown, in comparison to the 5 utilized by Dragon 1. The further parachute was once required by way of NASA as a security measure. The spacecraft can safely splash down with simply 3 primary chutes and perhaps two.

Emergency Propulsive Landing: In 2024, SpaceX added an implausible backup capacity. Dragon now has integrated redundancy to propulsively land the use of its TremendousDraco thrusters, saving the car and doable group from a coarse touchdown or approaching threat. Should an anomaly with the parachutes happen, the 4 primary parachutes can be lower and Dragon would ignite its 8 TremendousDraco engines to slowly carry out a propulsive splashdown.

Rigorous Testing Programme: This is the overall step within the multi-mission certification procedure, which integrated a variety of earlier launches, together with an uncrewed ISS docking undertaking, which ran totally automatic, and a release pad abort check to exhibit how the release car’s protection device would paintings within the not likely tournament of an twist of fate following release however previous to attaining orbit.

Engine-Out Capability: The Falcon 9’s nine-engine first degree design supplies improbable redundancy. The 9 Merlin engines at the first degree are step by step throttled close to the top of first-stage flight to restrict release car acceleration because the rocket’s mass decreases with the burning of gas. Even if one engine fails all through flight, the undertaking can proceed effectively – this was once confirmed all through Flight 83, a a hit Starlink release that noticed the primary failure of a Merlin 1D first-stage engine all through ascent.

Heat Shield Protection: When the tablet returns to Earth, a PICA-3 warmth defend safeguards the tablet all through reentry, protective astronauts from the intense temperatures of atmospheric access.

Attitude Control Systems: Sixteen smaller Draco thrusters positioned across the spacecraft regulate its perspective and carry out orbital maneuvers. Each pod additionally accommodates 4 Draco thrusters that can be utilized for perspective regulate and orbital maneuvers, offering actual regulate all through the undertaking.

Looking Beyond Axiom 4

The luck of Falcon 9 with Axiom 4 can have ripple results a ways past this unmarried undertaking. Ax-4 is an instance of the way India is embracing world cooperation. The undertaking has noticed the participation of astronauts from the United States, Hungary, and Poland, and comes to companies like SpaceX, NASA and Axiom Space.

This world collaboration fashion, enabled by way of dependable and cost-effective release cars just like the Falcon 9, is the way forward for area exploration. Instead of every nation construction dear rockets from scratch, international locations can pool sources and experience to reach larger targets quicker.

For India particularly, this undertaking is laying the groundwork for even larger ambitions. For ISRO, it supplies treasured revel in forward of the Gaganyaan programme and indicators India’s rising ambitions, together with plans for a lunar undertaking and area station by way of the 2030s.

The Economic Game-Changer

Beyond protection and capacity, the Falcon 9 has basically modified the economics of area get admission to. Reusability lets in SpaceX to refly the most costly portions of the rocket, which in flip drives down the price of area get admission to. This charge relief is what makes missions like Axiom 4 economically viable for more than one nations to take part.

Twenty years in the past, sending an astronaut to area charge loads of thousands and thousands of greenbacks. Today, because of reusable rockets just like the Falcon 9, the associated fee has dropped dramatically, making area available to extra international locations and organisations than ever ahead of.

A New Chapter Begins

As we watch the Falcon 9 raise off from Launch Complex 39A on June 10, sporting India’s hopes and goals at the side of Shubhanshu Shukla, we are witnessing extra than simply some other area release. We’re seeing the crack of dawn of a brand new technology the place area exploration is now not restricted to superpowers with limitless budgets.

The human-rated Falcon 9 has democratised get admission to to area, and India is completely situated to benefit from this new truth. With our sturdy technical experience, rising area program, and now confirmed talent to collaborate the world over, India is able to turn out to be a big participant within the international area economic system.

Shukla’s adventure to the ISS is only the start. Thanks to dependable, reusable, and inexpensive release cars just like the Falcon 9, the following Indian astronaut could be launching on an Indian-built rocket to an Indian area station. The stars, somewhat actually, are the restrict.