India has taken a major leap in space exploration by sending Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), marking its first manned space mission in 41 years. This milestone is seen not just as a moment of national pride but as a strategic stepping stone toward India’s long-term goal of establishing its own space station and deepening its human spaceflight capabilities.
Dr. Chaitanya Giri, Space Fellow at Observer Research Foundation told StratNews Global that sending a human into space is about more than just prestige – it’s about building critical technologies, enhancing national security, and preparing for the future of space-based resource utilisation and habitation.
India’s efforts are already visible in the Gaganyaan program, which aims to independently send Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit. Though Gaganyaan is still a few years away, the experience from Axiom-4, where Shukla flew alongside international astronauts, is invaluable. It provides India the real-world data and training it couldn’t gain from simulators or joint exercises alone.
“India has started to aim big,” says Dr Giri, ” This particular mission where Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla has been taken to the ISS is a precursor, a progenitor of what Indian astronauts would do when they build their own space station. And, since there is already a space station up there in the low Earth orbit in the form of ISS, we thought, why not, test our potential, do some dry runs with the ISS till it’s up there. These learnings would then be transferred on to our Gaganyaan and subsequently on how Bharatiya Antariksh Station would come to be.”
While the mission cost around $60–65 million, steep by traditional ISRO standards, Dr. Chaitanya Giri argues that today’s generation sees this as a smart investment. India is now less risk-averse and more willing to fund long-term science projects with strategic returns. The experience gained from operating aboard the ISS, before it is decommissioned, will directly inform the design, function, and diplomacy surrounding India’s own future space station, said Dr Giri.
Experiments are also a key aspect of this mission. Shukla is conducting tests related to muscle atrophy, microbial adaptation, and radiation exposure. These are critical for both medicine and future space exploration. Indian institutions, including IISc, have collaborated on these studies. Pharma and advanced materials companies in India are also showing interest in conducting R&D in microgravity, hinting at the potential commercial use of an Indian space station.
Looking ahead, India’s private sector will play an increasingly vital role, feels Dr Giri. While entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, are unique to the U.S., India is nurturing a budding ecosystem of space startups that may not lead missions independently but can supply components, subsystems, and ground operations. Vehicles like the LVM3 and the upcoming NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle) will gradually move toward partial privatisation.
India’s human spaceflight vision now rests on a whole-of-nation effort, which means integrating defence forces, scientists, biologists, and industry partners. The ISS mission is not the destination, but a training ground for something bigger: India’s presence in space as one of the top global powers, offering scientific leadership and partnerships across the Global South.
