BPSC Bihar Special • Current Affairs13 September 2026
Bihar Current Affairs: Space Science, Axiom-4 Mission, Gaganyaan Programme & Vyommitra
Source: Information & Public Relations Department (IPRD Bihar) / Official Gazettes•Exam Target: BPSC 71st & 72nd CCE Prelims
BPSC 72nd Core Foundation Dossier — Module 4
1. Axiom-4 (Ax-4) Mission & India's Historic Space Milestone
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Mission Overview: Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) was a premier commercial human spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), conducted by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX.
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Launch & Splashdown: Launched on 25 June 2025 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida; successfully splashed down on 15 July 2025 after completing an intensive 18-day orbital mission.
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International Crew Composition:
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Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA, veteran NASA astronaut).
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Pilot: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Indian Air Force, India).
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Mission Specialists: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
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Historic Feat for India: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became:
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The first Indian astronaut ever to board the International Space Station (ISS).
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The second Indian citizen in space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 flight aboard Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11.
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Hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
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Scientific Research: Over 60 microgravity experiments contributed by 31 countries were executed aboard the orbital laboratory, serving as invaluable operational groundwork for ISRO's Gaganyaan.
2. Axiom Space Flight Evolution
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Ax-1 (2022): First all-private crewed mission to the ISS.
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Ax-2 (2023): Featured commercial astronauts including Saudi Arabian researchers.
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Ax-3 (2024): All-European commercial crew aboard the ISS.
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Ax-4 (2025): Landmark collaborative mission marking the return of Indian, Polish, and Hungarian state-sponsored astronauts to orbit after four decades.
3. ISRO's Gaganyaan Mission: India's Sovereign Human Spaceflight
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National Vision: India's first indigenous crewed orbital mission, spearheaded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
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Mission Parameters: Send a 3-member astronaut crew to a 400 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for approximately 3 days, culminating in a safe parachute-assisted splashdown in Indian territorial waters (Arabian Sea / Bay of Bengal).
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Four Designated Astronauts (Gaganyaatris): Formally unveiled in 2024 after intensive basic training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center:
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Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla
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Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair
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Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
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Group Captain Angad Pratap
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Mission Phasing: Designed with three flight increments:
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Two uncrewed qualification test flights (G1 and G2) carrying sensor suites and humanoid robots.
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One final crewed orbital flight (H1).
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Launch Vehicle Architecture (LVM3):
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Also designated as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk III).
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Three-stage propulsion:
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Solid stage: Twin S200 solid strap-on boosters.
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Liquid core stage: L110 powered by two clustered Vikas engines.
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Cryogenic upper stage: C25 high-thrust cryogenic engine.
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Crew Escape System (CES): Quick-acting high-acceleration solid rocket motors engineered to automatically pull the crew module away to safety in case of any pad or atmospheric abort emergency.
4. Vyommitra: ISRO's Indigenous Female Half-Humanoid Robot
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Nomenclature: Coined from Sanskrit words ‘Vyom’ (space/sky) and ‘Mitra’ (friend).
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Design & Anatomy: Built as a half-humanoid robot (torso, head, and articulated arms without lower limbs) designed specifically for uncrewed Gaganyaan test missions.
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Functional Capabilities:
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Monitors life-support capsule parameters, oxygen-carbon dioxide levels, and cockpit pressure.
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Operates switch panels, handles communications, and simulates human biometric responses.
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Capable of bilingual speech interaction in Hindi and English.
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