The Indian Space Research Organization will conduct the second test flight of the unmanned Gaganya mission today

Indian Space Agency Chairman S Somanath outlined the upcoming schedule at an event organized by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) in Ahmedabad on April 17, saying it will be launched on April 24. After the airdrop test, it is planned to be carried. Two more unmanned missions were launched in the following year in preparation for a manned mission later in the year.

The Gaganyaan plan will send three astronauts into a 400-km orbit for a three-day journey before returning safely to Earth, showcasing India’s manned space capabilities. The effort will see India join the international alliance active in manned space exploration with the US, Russia and China.

Initial unmodified tests of the Gaganyaan are scheduled to begin later this year, with ISRO aiming to complete seven test launches by March next year.

What is the mission of Gaganyan?

Gaganyaan is a manned space program aimed at placing humans in low Earth orbit (LEO) and returning them safely to Earth.

The plan envisions a short-term demonstration of a manned spacecraft in low-Earth orbit and lays the foundation for India’s continued manned space exploration program. Gognian’s mission is to demonstrate indigenous capabilities to conduct manned space missions in low-Earth orbit.

The Gaganyaan program consists of two unmanned missions and one manned mission. The manned mission will take three Indian astronauts to a 400-km orbit for a three-day mission and land in Indian waters to return them safely to Earth.

The Indian Space Research Organization said on its website that the Gaganyaan mission will develop key technologies including a manned launch vehicle to safely transport astronauts into space, life support systems to provide an Earth-like environment, and emergency escape facilities for astronauts.

The program includes various pilot missions such as Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights that demonstrate technology readiness levels before actual manned space missions.

Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3) was identified as the launch vehicle for the Gaganyaan mission and all systems were reconfigured to meet human rated requirements. Orbital Module (OM) consists of Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM). To ensure safety during safe landing until landing. The SM provides necessary support to the CM in orbit.

India’s manned space missions are led by the Indian Space Research Organization, which is working with partner vendors to develop an entirely indigenous technology stack for the space infrastructure of the spacecraft, unlike the US approach, which typically involves contracting a private company to carry out such work. of work.

India’s moon landing

In addition to its aspirations for manned spacecraft, India has also made significant progress in lunar exploration, with the Chandrayaan mission yielding important information about the presence of water on the lunar surface.

The launch of Chandrayaan-3 on August 23 last year marked India’s success in joining the elite ranks of countries capable of landing on the moon. ISRO claims that through initiatives like Gaganyaan, India aims to further enhance its position in applied space exploration research projects and contribute to the global space ecosystem.