Reader TTS

Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the upcoming Axiom

Mission 4 (Ax-4), Union Minister for the Department of Space Jitendra Singh announced on Saturday. The experiments, developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA, aim to pioneer space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems vital for future long-duration

space travel, he said during a media briefing. Advertisement Dr. Jitendra Singh detailed that the first ISS experiment will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on edible

microalgae—a high-potential, nutrient-rich food source. The study will focus on key growth parameters and the changes in transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of various legal species

in space compared to Earth conditions. Advertisement Presenting an example of Atmanirbhar Bharat, he said the space biology experiments aboard the ISS will be conducted using indigenously

developed biotechnology kits under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). These specialised kits, tailored for microgravity conditions, have been designed and validated by Indian scientists

to ensure precision and reliability in space-based research. Their deployment marks a major milestone in India’s ability to deliver world-class scientific tools for frontier research,

underscoring the country’s growing self-reliance in critical technologies for space exploration and biotechnology. “Microalgae grow rapidly, produce high-protein biomass, absorb carbon

dioxide, and release oxygen—making them perfect candidates for sustainable space nutrition and closed-loop life support systems,” said the minister. Some species can grow in as little as 26

hours, and when cultivated in photobioreactors, they produce more biomass per unit volume than traditional crops, crucial for space missions with tight space and resource constraints. The

second experiment will investigate the growth and proteomic response of cyanobacteria—specifically Spirulina and Synechococcus—under microgravity, using urea- and nitrate-based media.

Advertisement