The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Gaganyaan Mission is a historic milestone as India prepares to embark on its first manned spaceflight. Recent reports from the Hindustan Times indicate that the astronauts on this mission are likely to use Russian-made spacesuits, despite the development of indigenous Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) suits by the Vikram Sarabhai Space.
According to documents reviewed by the English daily, while ISRO has made significant progress in the development of its IVA suits, the space agency has opted for Russian spacesuits for the Gaganyaan mission. The decision, as stated in one of the documents, is driven by programmatic requirements and a commitment to ensure the safety of the crew during the mission.
ISRO scientists have verified that the three designated astronauts have undergone suit trials in Russia. Scientists from ISRO, as communicated to HT, clarified that the indication of using Russian-made suits for the Gaganyaan mission is not a definitive confirmation of the final choice.
Earlier this month, ISRO Chairman S Somanath mentioned that 2024 is designated as the “year for Gaganyaan.” The upcoming months will witness rigorous testing and technology demonstrations to validate ISRO’s human spaceflight capability.
The mission aims to launch a crew of three members into orbit at 400km for a three-day mission, followed by a safe return to Earth.
The Gaganyaan Mission is part of ISRO’s broader human spaceflight programme, designed to showcase India’s ability to undertake crewed space missions. Key objectives of the programme include the development of a human-rated launch vehicle capable of safely transporting the crew into space, a Life Support System to create an Earth-like environment for the astronauts, and comprehensive crew management aspects for training, recovery, and rehabilitation.
To ensure the success of the Gaganyaan mission, ISRO has planned a series of precursor missions and tests. These include the Integrated AirDrop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT), and Test Vehicle (TV) flights.
In preparation for the forthcoming manned mission, ISRO will conduct multiple rounds of tests. Following the TV-D1 test flight demonstration conducted in October of the previous year, the space agency plans to execute a test flight involving Vyomitra, a humanoid astronaut robot, and an unmanned flight. Officials from the Department of Space suggest that these tests will precede the scheduled manned mission, potentially set for 2025.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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