ISRO to launch first unmanned test flight for “Gaganyaan” next week, announces Jitendra Singh
ISRO to launch first unmanned test flight for “Gaganyaan” next week, announces Jitendra Singh
Another test flight next year will carry female robot astronaut “Vyommitra”
Delhi Crown Bureau
New Delhi: India’s space agency the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will carry out a test of the vehicle of its proposed crewed Space Mission, or “Gaganyaan”, on October 21, said Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (Oct. 10).
“The launch of Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Space flight, i.e. Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Development flight (TV-D1), is scheduled on 21st of this month,” said Singh while addressing a gathering at a felicitation programme of ISRO scientists.
The ISRO has planned to launch its maiden Space Mission sometime in 2024.
According to Singh, the ISRO will also test the efficacy of the Crew Escape System which is the crucial part of “Gaganyaan” mission, resulting in unmanned and manned missions to outer space by 2024. This test is to be conducted at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The Crew Module will carry the astronauts during the Gaganyaan mission to outer space.
Another test would involve launching a crew module to outer space and bringing it back to Earth and recovering it after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal. Indian Navy (IN) personnel have already started mock operations to recover the module.
The success of these tests will set the stage for the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission and ultimately manned mission to outer space in low Earth orbit. Before the ultimate manned Gaganyaan mission, there will be a test flight next year, which will carry “Vyommitra”, the female robot astronaut.
The Gaganyaan mission envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a human crew to an orbit of 400 kilometres and bringing them back safely to Earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
