New Delhi– Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is leading a critical experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to study muscle health in space — a key challenge for astronauts on long-duration missions and a potential breakthrough for people on Earth suffering from muscle degeneration.
Last week, Shukla made history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the ISS, as part of Axiom Space’s Mission 4. Alongside crewmates from the United States, Poland, and Hungary — as well as seven Expedition 73 members — he is spearheading research focused on muscle and brain health in microgravity.
“Shukla worked in Kibo’s Life Sciences Glovebox, examining muscle stem cell cultures to understand how to maintain muscle health in space,” NASA noted in a blog post.
Muscle atrophy in space, a long-standing issue in space medicine due to the lack of gravitational load, is at the heart of Shukla’s research. His study investigates whether certain supplements can slow or prevent muscle loss.
“When you enter space, gravity disappears, and the load on your muscles vanishes — leading to muscle loss,” Shukla explained during a live interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ISS. “My experiment is testing whether we can stop or delay this muscle loss using a nutritional supplement.”
He added that the implications extend far beyond space: “This research could help people on Earth who experience muscle loss due to aging. I believe these supplements could definitely be used to help them.”
Axiom Space emphasized the dual significance of the mission, stating that the research could not only help astronauts maintain muscle mass during prolonged space travel but also lead to new treatments for muscle-wasting diseases and conditions caused by aging or immobility here on Earth.
In addition to his muscle health research, Shukla also recorded a special educational video for young Indian students explaining how the human digestive system adapts to space. He also helped document crew activities as part of NASA’s Astronaut Mental Health study.
Over the 14-day mission aboard the ISS, the Ax-4 crew will carry out approximately 60 scientific investigations and commercial activities in microgravity, representing 31 countries — including India, the U.S., Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and multiple European nations.
India’s space agency, ISRO, has contributed seven specially selected experiments to the mission — showcasing the country’s growing role in global space research. (Source: IANS)
