In exciting news, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, has revealed plans to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040. This follows the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon.
Looking ahead, ISRO is gearing up for the Gaganyaan program, which aims to launch a crew of 2 to 3 Indian astronauts into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for up to three days. After the mission, they will safely return to a predefined site in Indian waters. Somanath shared these details in an article for the Manorama Yearbook 2024.
To prepare for the Gaganyaan mission, four test pilots from the Indian Air Force have been chosen as "Astronaut-Designates." They are currently undergoing mission-specific training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
The first Gaganyaan mission will be a significant test, evaluating crucial technologies such as the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle, an Orbital Module (including a Crew Module and Service Module), and various life support systems. Prior to the crewed mission, two identical uncrewed missions will take place. These missions are in addition to the Air Drop Test, Pad Abort Test, and Test Vehicle flights.
ISRO has already completed the TV-D1 mission on October 21, 2023, testing the Crew Escape System's in-flight abort capabilities. The Crew Module used in this mission successfully separated from the launch vehicle and was safely recovered from the Bay of Bengal by the Indian Navy. Somanath stressed the importance of this test flight before proceeding with subsequent missions. He mentioned that the crewed Gaganyaan mission could potentially launch in 2025.
Somanath also highlighted the Aditya L1 solar exploratory mission as a significant project for ISRO. This mission, launched on September 2, 2023, will study the Sun from Lagrange Point 1 using seven scientifically developed instruments. The mission is expected to be inserted into a halo orbit around L1 in 2024 and will span a five-year duration.
