Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO’s First Human Spaceflight Programme
Why in the news
ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission is India’s planned first step towards sending humans to space and building a lasting human spaceflight programme.
Key facts
- Crew: three astronauts (vyomanauts) orbiting at 400 km for three days.
- Landing: recovery in Indian sea waters; with a splashdown in the Arabian Sea.
- Rocket: human-rated LVM3 (HLVM3), nicknamed “Bahubali”.
- Cost: about ₹9,023 crore.
- Crew suits: orange, made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
Objectives
- Show India can send humans into space.
- Create an environment that sustains a long-term human space programme.
- Build home-grown space technology and astronaut training for orbital safety.
- Run microgravity experiments in orbit.
Role of HSFC
- The Human Space Flight Centre coordinates the human spaceflight side of Gaganyaan.
- It works on life support systems, human factors engineering, bioastronautics, crew training and human rating and certification.
- Critical technologies: human-rated launch vehicle, life support, crew emergency escape and crew management.
Systems
| Part | Note |
|---|---|
| HLVM3 | Heavy-lift launcher with a Crew Escape System driven by high burn rate solid motors |
| Orbital Module | Crew Module plus Service Module, with advanced avionics and redundancy for safety |
| Service Module | Provides support the Crew Module needs in orbit |
Preliminary tests
- Technology readiness is to be shown first through test flights: TV missions, the Pad Abort Test (PAT) and the Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT).
Exam angle
- Crew: three; orbit: 400 km; duration: three days.
- Crew escape: CES on HLVM3; nodal organisation: ISRO with HSFC.