India Leads Ocean and Space Frontiers with Pioneering Initiatives

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Earth Sciences, is set to lead the Indian delegation to the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, starting June 8. The delegation includes Dr. M. Ravichandran, a prominent ocean expert and the Secretary of Earth Sciences. The conference's agenda aims to tackle pressing ocean management challenges on a global scale.

In a major announcement for space research, Dr. Singh revealed that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will undertake exclusive experiments on food and nutrition aboard the International Space Station during the upcoming Axiom Mission 4. A collaboration involving ISRO, DBT, and NASA, these experiments are poised to revolutionize space nutrition, focusing particularly on microalgae and cyanobacteria, and could pioneer self-sustaining systems essential for prolonged space missions.

The Axiom-4 mission crew further includes Commander Peggy Whitson from the USA and two European Space Agency specialists, with Shukla serving as Mission Pilot. Dr. Singh indicated these efforts represent a shift of India from launch services to assuming a leadership stance in space science and sustainability initiatives. The expected success could drastically impact human nutrition and recycling in space, underlining India's escalating role in the global space domain.

(With inputs from agencies.)