'Mini India On Moon': Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Blueprint For Indian Lunar Village

In a Bengaluru lab, a blueprint of a futuristic Indian lunar village is being built with the help of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, months after he returned to Earth aboard the Axion-4 mission.

India's futuristic project is laying groundwork for a permanent lunar village, with official plans to land an Indian on the moon by 2040. This comes at a time the United States has sent 12 astronauts to the Moon for short-term missions and prepares for a permanent presence on Earth's neighbour through its Artemis mission.

At the heart of India's vision is a lab at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where scientists are building scalable models of the planned "Indian village" on the lunar surface.

Led by Dr Aloke Kumar, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and seeing the hands-on involvement of Mr Shukla, the ISRO-IISc Space Technology Cell has formally awarded a project titled "Bacterial growth induced self-healing and smart consolidation of structural mass" for lunar and Martian habitats. Half a dozen scientists are already working on the designs.

"We should definitely dream of it, and I think our Prime Minister has already given us a vision of an Indian on the moon by 2040," said Dr Kumar. "So, we have to create the groundwork for a small colony on the moon right now. That is exactly what our lab is working on."

Modular Habitats: BHEEM Takes Shape

Central to this vision is a modular structure called Bhartiya Extraterrestrial Expandable Modular Habitat (BHEEM). These habitats are designed to be transported in rocket payloads and assembled by astronauts on the lunar surface.

"These will all come as small pieces that can go up in a rocket's payload fairing," explained Dr Kumar. "There, the astronauts will assemble these structures. What you see in the models in the lab are small assembled structures, and then a slightly bigger one, and then a full-scale prototype."

The modularity allows for scalability, enabling astronauts to expand their living quarters as needed. The structures are designed to protect inhabitants from harsh lunar conditions, including micrometeorite impacts and extreme temperatures.

Bricks From Moon Dust: In-Situ Resource Utilisation

Beyond transporting materials from Earth, the IISc team is also exploring in-situ or local lunar resource utilisation, which would entail using lunar soil, or regolith, to build bricks on the moon.

"On the moon, we have a lot of fine sand-like structure. The technical name for that is lunar regolith," said Dr Kumar. "Our first inhabitants can start using this regolith to make bricks. That is exactly what we have made here - bricks of different sizes using lunar regolith simulants (sand similar to lunar soil but made from rocks found on Earth)."

These bricks are not just theoretical. The lab has successfully created prototypes using both lunar and Martian simulants, paving the way for future construction on both celestial bodies. "Sometimes we are also making bricks out of Martian regolith simulants," Dr Kumar added. "So, we can prepare simultaneously to go to Mars."

Martian and lunar look-alike brick

The Astronaut Behind The Bricks

Mr Shukla's contribution to this project is both technical and visionary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and Dr Kumar began brainstorming ideas for lunar habitats, which eventually led to the creation of BHEEM.

"BHEEM grew out of discussions between me and him (Mr Shukla) during COVID times," said Dr Kumar. "We became good friends and realised we had to make a modular structure. This was Shubhanshu and my idea, and later others joined in."

Mr Shukla is training in Dr Kumar's lab for his Masters in Technology (M Tech degree), where he also learned to handle experimental equipment, acquiring skills that proved invaluable during his time aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla's training got interrupted due to his 18-day space Axiom-4 Mission to the International Space Station in July.

"He was trained here in my lab," Dr Kumar confirmed. "He also worked on bricks and materials that could be used for permanent habitation."

One of Mr Shukla's projects involved growing bacteria in Martian sand look-alikes. Martian soil is a hostile environment due to high iron and perchlorate content. Mr Shukla's research focused on preparing microbes to survive in such conditions, an essential step for future bioengineering on other planets.

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in the Dr Aloke Kumar's lab at IISc, Bengaluru, where he is pursuing M Tech

"Shukla has been obsessed with this idea of human habitation on the moon and Mars for a very long time," said Dr Kumar. "I think it's the right obsession for a Gaganyatri."

Viksit Bharat, Even On The Moon

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing plans for a pool of 40-50 astronauts, India's lunar aspirations are no longer just dreams. The work at IISc is laying the foundation for a "Chhota Bharat" on the moon, where Indian astronauts could one day live, work and thrive.

"I would hope that we will be able to put some of these together and there will be an Indian station on the moon," said Dr Kumar. "Multiple astronauts, all very well trained, living on the moon and making a small, chhota sa Bharat over there."