Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has shared more than just stories about flying a spacecraft, but he has also pulled back the curtain on the academic side of astronaut training. In a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Shukla revealed about BHEEM (Bharatiya Habitable Expandable Extraterrestrial Habitat) and his time as a trainee were just not about handling spacecraft controls or mastering physical endurance. He was further indulged deeply into academic research, focusing on technologies that could actually decide what the future of human space exploration will look like in the coming years.
After finishing a stint of training in Russia, Shukla returned to India for the next phase. This part meant studying the launch vehicle and orbital module systems and long and tiring physical training along with spaceflight exercises. But there is much more that they urged astronauts to study academic fields tied to future missions.
Research focused on extraterrestrial habitats: Moon and Mars
Shukla picked a topic that goes well beyond flying: extraterrestrial habitats. He wanted to figure out what it would take for people actually to live and work away from Earth. Instead of just focusing on the spacecraft, he started thinking bigger—where will humans go once they reach a new world?
The major question lies around the Mars and habitat on the planet if it is possible. In BHEEM vision, he studied about one things required to send astronauts to Mars. After that, the real challenge is keeping them alive and safe. You need habitats that will shield people from the harsh Martian environment—a place sturdy and reliable enough for long-term living.
Shukla’s work fed into BHEEM project, developed at Aloke Lab at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
Why will Mars Habitats be critical?
Setting up a permanent base on Mars is not just about building houses. There is a laundry list of engineering and tech hurdles:
- Protection from radiation
- Temperature swings
- Air-tight life-support systems
- Dependable ways to generate and store energy
- Methods to actually build something people can live in
Mars is not Earth; this means getting a regular home on the planet will not suffice. Future habitats need to make their own controlled environment, tough enough to handle everything Mars throws at them.
Expandable, modular habitats—like what Shukla studied, as mentioned in his post—could become a big focus as agencies and private firms get serious about missions that last months or even years far from Earth.
The work has to start from today itself
Shukla’s main point is pretty clear in his post: if you want humans living off Earth in the future, the technology has to start now.
“If we want humans to live beyond Earth 20 years from now, the work cannot begin 20 years from now. It has to begin today,” Shukla mentioned.
His journey also points to something bigger for India’s space program. At present, astronauts might just be training to operate vehicles in low-Earth orbit, but their research could push Indian exploration much deeper into space down the road.
From imagining habitats to building them: BHEEM
For Shukla, the first step is not about pouring concrete on another planet and starting to build the habitat. It is picturing what a real, working human habitat even looks like and getting a grip on the tech needed to make it happen.
As we set our sights on the Moon and Mars, this kind of research grows more important. Projects like BHEEM are already tackling the question – not just how to get people to new worlds, but what it will take for them to actually live there.
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