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The Gaganyaan Mission is an ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) project that seeks to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capabilities. In this mission, a crew of three members will be launched into an orbit of 400 km for a three day mission. By successfully completing this mission, India will become only the fourth country to have human spaceflight capabilities after the USA, Russia and China. The mission will involve two uncrewed test flights and a crewed mission. Human-rated LVM 3 will be used for launching the Orbital Module in LEO, where it will revolve around the earth for three days. Then it will be brought back to earth through a series of manoeuvres. ISRO is developing and testing numerous components required for the successful demonstration of human spaceflight capabilities. The crew is undergoing training at the Human Space Flight Center in Bangalore. Currently, the mission is expected to be launched in 2025.
It is a female humanoid robot that will fly in space aboard the testflight mission of Gaganyaan.
In the Gaganyaan mission, a three-membered crew will be launched into space in a low-earth orbit (LEO) of 400 km. The mission will span over three days. Then the crew will be brought safely back to earth, by landing in Indian water.
The mission is comprised of three phases:
The most reliable launch vehicle, Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3), is chosen for the Gaganyaan mission.
The names of India’s astronauts-designate are
First Indian in Space
Human rated LVM 3- HLVM3 | Orbital Module (OM) |
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Vyommitra | Vyomanauts |
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Huge budget: The Gaganyaan mission has a massive budget of around INR 10,000 crores. This budget might increase as there were numerous delays due to unforeseen circumstances.
Re-entry of crew: During re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, a high amount of heat is generated due to friction between the vehicle and air particles. The temperature of the vehicle surface might reach 1700oC. Hence, this manoeuvre is very difficult and requires precision. Even a minute of mistake may cause disastrous consequences.
Life support: The Crew Module (CM) is supposed to provide life support to the crew in space by utilising a small space. It is a daunting task as it will involve shielding the crew from an extremely hostile environment that is laced with radiation and no oxygen.
Problems during the ascent phase: launching vehicle will burn tonnes of fuel during liftoff. This makes the launch vehicle like a fireball. There is a possibility of a massive explosion during the liftoff or during the ascent phase, which will last for 16 minutes. Hence, the crew will be in a vulnerable position during the ascent phase, and the Crew Escape System has to be designed and developed to handle any kind of emergency
Recovery and rehabilitation: the crew will be subjected to a transitioning gravity field and a hostile environment. This means the crew would be at risk of developing various health problems. That is why the recovery and rehabilitation of the crew will be a difficult task.
The Gaganyaan mission will be the stepping stone for India towards space exploration. It will provide ISRO with the necessary experience and expertise to accomplish more complex and ambitious missions, such as the Indian space station, space tourism, and many more. ISRO’s track record has been exceptional. It includes a successful soft landing on the lunar surface with Chandrayaan 3 and Mangalyaan, which reached the Martian orbit in its maiden attempt. But human spaceflight is a very difficult task to achieve, involving fatality risks. Therefore, it would be prudent to take all the necessary precautions, even if this causes some delays. The success of this mission will propel India towards deep space exploration in the decades to come.
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