Human space flight mission: a status check

• Recently, the Prime Minister revealed the names of the astronauts-designated for India's inaugural crewed space mission, Gaganyaan.
• They include four Indian Air Force officers - Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Gaganyaan Mission

• The first mission flight, Gaganyaan-1, an unmanned test flight to check technology readiness, is expected by the end of 2024.
  • It will mainly test the safe re-entry of the crew module and proper orientation of the module when it splashes down in the sea.
• It will be followed by the manned mission carrying a three-member crew into low Earth orbit for three days.
• The astronauts are currently undergoing intensive training for the mission.

Technological Readiness

• ISRO has extensively tested and certified the launch vehicle, LVM3 (earlier called GSLV-MkIII), and its components for human spaceflight.
  • LVM3 is the Indian space agency’s most powerful launch vehicle that has flown seven times without failure.
• The cryogenic engine, CE20, crucial for the mission, has been successfully tested, ensuring safe transport of humans to space.
• In October last year, ISRO successfully conducted the first test of a basic crew module and crew escape system (CES).
  • The CES ensures the crew is taken to a safe distance in case of any emergency either at launch pad or during ascent phase.
• ISRO is developing life support systems to provide an Earth-like environment for the crew in space and emergency escape provisions for crew safety.

Training

• The four astronauts completed their generic training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.
  • ISRO signed a MoU with Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, for the training in June 2019.
• They are currently undergoing specialised training at ISRO's facilities in Bengaluru.
• Fitness and psychological training are integral parts of their regimen.
• One astronaut is also expected to undergo training with NASA as announced by the administrator of NASA during a visit to New Delhi in 2023.