ISRO on Saturday announced that it has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to collaborate on astronaut training, mission execution, and research initiatives. The agreement was formalised by ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somanath and ESA Director General Dr. Josef Aschbacher.

This partnership establishes a framework for cooperative efforts in human space exploration and research, focusing on areas such as astronaut training, experiment development and integration using ESA facilities on the International Space Station (ISS), human and biomedical research experiments, and joint educational outreach programs, according to ISRO’s statement.

For the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, where ISRO’s Gaganyatri will be part of the crew alongside an ESA astronaut, both organizations will work together to conduct experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators on the ISS.

Moreover, the collaboration aims to include participation in ESA’s human physiological studies, technology demonstration experiments, and further joint educational outreach initiatives.

During the announcement, Dr. Somanath emphasised that ISRO has developed a roadmap for human spaceflight activities, and with the approval of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), India’s planned indigenous space station, there is an opportunity to foster interoperability between human spaceflight programs.

Dr. Aschbacher expressed gratitude to Dr. Somanath for his address at the ESA Council, noting that the agreement lays a solid foundation for ongoing cooperation between the two agencies.

The leadership of both ISRO and ESA conveyed their satisfaction with the progress of the joint projects related to the Axiom-4 mission and emphasized the importance of continuing collaborative efforts in human spaceflight in the future, according to ISRO’s statement.

ISRO has stated that the newly signed agreement creates a framework for collaboration in human space exploration and research. This partnership emphasizes astronaut training, support for experiment development and integration—which includes utilising ESA facilities on the International Space Station—along with conducting human and biomedical research experiments and engaging in joint educational and outreach initiatives.

In preparation for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, which will feature ISRO’s Gaganyatri alongside an ESA astronaut, both agencies are working together to implement experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators on the ISS. Additionally, ISRO is actively pursuing participation in ESA’s human physiological studies, technology demonstration experiments, and joint educational outreach efforts.

Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla is poised to become the first Indian in four decades to journey into space, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) designating him as the ‘primary’ astronaut for the inaugural ISRO-NASA mission to the International Space Station, anticipated to commence after October this year.

On Friday, ISRO announced the selection of Shukla, 39, and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, 48, for the Axiom-4 mission, appointing Shukla as the ‘prime’ astronaut, implying his primary role in traveling to the ISS. Nair serves as the contingency astronaut, ready to step in should Shukla be unable to proceed.

To date, Rakesh Sharma remains the sole Indian to have ventured into space, having done so in 1984 as a wing commander aboard a Soviet spacecraft. Shukla and Nair are among four Indian Air Force officers chosen for India’s pioneering manned space mission, Gaganyaan, slated for a tentative launch next year.

According to an ISRO official, the duo will engage in eight weeks of mission-specific training. The Axiom-4 mission, orchestrated by private space enterprise Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA, will be propelled by a SpaceX rocket. Joining Shukla will be three astronauts from Poland, Hungary, and the United States. This mission is the result of an accord between New Delhi and Washington during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s U.S. visit last year.

The Axiom-4 spacecraft will remain affixed to the ISS for a duration of 14 days, ferrying not just astronauts but also cargo and supplies to the station. A launch date has not been pinpointed. According to NASA’s website, the mission is planned for no earlier than October 2024, but Poland’s space agency recently suggested the mission could slip into next year. Shukla is a fighter pilot from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and was commissioned into the IAF in 2006.

He has spent more than 2,000 hours on many IAF fighter jets, including Sukhoi-30 MKIs, MiG-21s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, Hawks, Dorniers, and the AN-32 aircraft. Nair, who won the Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy, was commissioned into the IAF in 1998. A category ‘A’ flying instructor and test pilot, having flown over 3,000 hours, he is an alumnus of the United States Staff College and has commanded a Sukhoi-30 squadron.

The Gaganyaan mission of India draws on the experience and expertise gained from the Indian astronauts’ experiences with the ISS mission. “This is a collaborative effort between the two countries with the United States, and it benefits both,” said Somanath, chairman of ISRO, in 2023. “Training in the US and the subsequent discussions will enhance a lot in designing our Gaganyaan mission.”

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday launched India’s first indigenously-developed CAR T-cell therapy, a gene-based therapy, for cancer treatment, hailing it as a breakthrough that provides new hope for humankind in the battle against the diseases.

Speaking at the launch event at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Murmu said the indigenous development of the CAR T-cell therapy was an example of the Make in India initiative.  

The gene-based therapy, which is developed by the IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Centre, is being rolled out in India at about one-tenth of its price outside the country, as per the senior official.

In CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s T-cells, which is a type of immune system cell or stem cell, are modified in the laboratory and inserted back into the patient to attack and destroy cancer cells after editing the stem cell.

The NexCAR19 CAR T-cell therapy, the country’s first Made in India CAR T-cell therapy, is expected to bring down the cost of treatment significantly.

During her speech, Murmu said that this therapy is considered a phenomenal advance in medical sciences. The development of this therapy is also an example of the Make in India initiative and speaks volumes about Indian scientists and physicians, she added.

The launch of India’s first gene therapy is a significant breakthrough in the battle against cancer. As this line of treatment, named CAR T-cell therapy, is accessible and affordable, it provides a new hope for the whole of humankind, President Murmu further added.

The Tata Memorial Centre director Sudeep Gupta said the CAR T-cell therapy was enormously expensive and out of the reach of an overwhelming majority of people.

Asserting that, he said NexCar19 needs to be custom manufactured for every patient under the most stringent conditions, but it has been rolled out at approximately one-tenth of the price at which it is available outside India.

The treatment costs approximately Rs 4 crore abroad against Rs 30 lakh in India, said IIT Bombay director Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri.

He further said that the low-cost CAR T-cell therapy was a huge achievement for the country and cancer patients, and places India firmly on the global map of cell and gene therapy.

Comparing the achievement of Chandrayaan-3 with CAR T-cell therapy, Chaudhuri asserted that CAR-T cell therapy heralds India’s entry into the cell and genetic engineering group.

The Tata Memorial Centre director Gupta said the treatment will help some 20,000 Indians every year, and its rollout is a milestone in the field of cancer care and genetic engineering.

He added the CAR T-cell was not only a scientific achievement of the highest order but also had immense practical application. NexCAR19 will save many, many lives and wipe many, many tears, he emphasised.