Thiruvananthapuram:

The Gaganyaan manned space flight mission will launch “Indian astronauts into space from Indian soil on an India-made rocket”, Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, the head of the elite Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, told NDTV in a special interview this week.

Expected to cost Rs 9,000 crore, Gaganyaan is a “national mission” that will send four specially chosen and trained male test pilots from the Indian Air Force into space, Dr Nair said.

In an exclusive tour of the country’s main rocket lab, an ultra-secure facility, NDTV was given glimpses of the crew module – in which the four pilot-astronauts will travel into space – and the service module – which will be attached to the former, and the space suits that they will wear.

The crew module, Dr Nair said, is a little over 10 feet in diameter and is configured for three people, but this can be adjusted depending on mission requirements. The space suits were purchased from the Russians as part of a deal to buy the seats, which follow the ‘cradle’ philosophy, he said.

On the test pilots themselves, Dr Nair said, “You know… since they are from the Air Force, they are close to astronauts in terms of key attributes, like quick response time, and have responded well to tests like centrifuge, which subjects them to higher acceleration forces.”

“They are now an astronaut training centre for 13 months for training on survivability in different conditions, and then will be subject to parabolic flight tests. Then they will go to Bengaluru, where a Human Space Flight Centre is set up and will get more training, including physical training.”

The four pilot-astronauts – dubbed ‘India’s Fantastic 4’ – were revealed to the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week; they are Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

READ | India’s Fantastic 4: Meet Gaganyaan Astronauts Named By PM

Their training will also include academic courses and detailed instruction on Gaganyaan flight systems, as well as yoga, sources at ISRO, India’s space agency, told NDTV.

READ | Gravity, Flying Practice, Yoga: Training For Gaganyaan Astronauts

Earlier all four also received training at Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.

Dr Nair also explained why no women will be part of this historic space flight – because pilot-astronauts are drawn from the ranks of Air Force test pilots. At the time, India has no women in that role.

NDTV Explains | Why No Woman Among 4 Pilots Chosen For Gaganyaan Mission

“When I was HSFC (Human Space Flight Centre) Director, we put this idea to the Air Force. But unfortunately, there were then no women test then. Now, I understand there are women test pilots and I hope they will soon join us,” he said.

Meanwhile, NDTV also met Vyommitra – the robotic (female) humanoid that will fly into space for a test flight ahead of the mission. The launch of Vyommitra – whose name comes from Sanskrit words meaning ‘space’ (‘vyom‘) and ‘friend’ (‘mitra‘) – may be in the third quarter of this year.

READ | Robot Astronaut Vyommitra To Simulate Human Functions In Space

Overall, work is on at full pace for the Gaganyaan mission, which will cost about Rs 9,000 crore, with the four test pilots undergoing special training and the launch vehicle now humanrated, which means its ability to safely carry and return its human occupants has been evaluated and confirmed.

Before the manned flight, though, there must be at least two successful unmanned flights, the first of which, if all goes well, will take place by the middle of, or end of, this year, NDTV was told.

(From left) Astronauts-designate Shubanshu Shukla, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan and Angad Angad Pratap.
| Photo Credit: PTI

All four Gaganyaan astronaut-designates, whose names were announced here on Tuesday, were commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF and are test pilots. They have experience flying a variety of aircraft including frontline fighters like the Su-30 MKIs and the MiGs.

Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, born in 1976 and the oldest in the team, hails from Thiruvazhiyad, near Nenmara, in Palakkad, Kerala; Group Captain Ajit Krishnan is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Group Captain Angad Pratap is from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, while Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the youngest, is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair

Born in Thiruvazhiyad on August 26, 1976, he is alumnus of the National Defence Academy and a recipient of the Sword of Honour at the Air Force Academy. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on December 19, 1988. He is a Cat A flying instructor and a test pilot with approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience. He is also an alumnus of the United States Staff College. He has commanded a premier Su-30 fighter squadron.

Group Captain Ajit Krishnan

Born in Chennai on April 19, 1982, he is alumnus of NDA and a recipient of President’s Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at Air Force Academy. He was commissioned into the fighter stream on July 21, 2003. He is flying instructor and a test pilot with approximately 2900 hours of flying experience. He is also alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

Group Captain Angad Pratap:

Born in Prayagraj on July 17, 1982. He is alumnus of NDA and was commissioned into the fighter stream on December 18, 2004. He is a flying instructor and a test pilot with approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience.

Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla

Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh October 10, 1985. An NDA alumnus, he was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream on June 17, 2006. He is a fighter combat leader and a test pilot with around 2000 hours of flying experience.

All four pilots have experience flying a variety of aircraft including Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, Mig-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and the An-32.

Gaganyaan astronaut-designates Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Subhanshu Shukla received ‘astronaut wings’ from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Video grab

India on Tuesday announced the names of the four astronaut-designates for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, planned for launch in 2025.

The names of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots — Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla — were revealed for the first time in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.

The final crew for the mission will be picked from among the four.

Shortlisted through a rigorous selection process, they have been undergoing training in various aspects of space flight, initially in Russia, and later at the Astronaut Training Facility established by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru.

The Prime Minister presented the four with ‘astronaut wings’ on the occasion.

According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan programme is designed to demonstrate indigenous capability to undertake human space flight mission to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The mission is expected to pave way for a “sustained Indian human space exploration programme” in the long run.

Preparations on

In the run-up to the crewed mission to LEO, ISRO is in the process of conducting various tests. These include the Integrated Air Drop tests, Test Vehicle Missions, pad Abort Tests. There will be unmanned flights before the actual flight.

ISRO has also announced plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2040.

During his visit, Mr. Modi reviewed the progress on the Gaganyaan Mission and dedicated three technical facilities developed at a cost of about ₹1,800 crore to the nation.

This includes a state-of-the-art Trisonic Wind Tunnel at the VSSC, integration facilities for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and the Semi-cryogenic Integrated Engine and Stage Test Facility (SIET) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

The Trisonic Wind Tunnel produces a controlled uniform airflow over scale models of rockets and aircraft to assess their aerodynamic characteristics. It is designed to make ISRO self-reliant in the end-to-end design of upcoming launch vehicle projects. The PSLV Integration Facilities (PIF) at Sriharikota will give ISRO the capability to increase the number of PSLV missions in a year from 6 to 15. SIET will be used to test the SCE-2000 semi-cryogenic engine and stages which will increase the payload capability of the launch vehicles.

On his arrival, ISRO chairman S. Somanath took the Prime Minister through a display of equipment related to the Gaganyaan mission, including ‘Vyommitra,’ the humanoid robot developed by the space agency for the programme.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan were present on the occasion.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath on Tuesday expressed his wish for increased female representation in the nation’s space missions.

He said this desire echoes the sentiments of the nation, including that of the Prime Minister.

During an event at the Pournami Kavu temple here, where Somanath initiated children into the world of letters as part of the Vidyarambam ceremony on Vijayadasami, he shared his expectation of seeing more female astronauts in ISRO’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission.

Somanath clarified that as astronauts had already been selected and trained, the participation of women won’t be feasible in Gaganyaan’s inaugural mission, which aims to send humans to space and bring them back safely to Earth.

However, he expressed optimism of greater female involvement in future Gaganyaan missions.

“More women astronauts in space missions is part of my wish list, and I only echoed the voice of the nation, including that of the Prime Minister,” he told PTI.

On Sunday, the ISRO chairman had said the space agency prefers woman fighter test pilots or female scientists for its much-awaited human space flight programme-Gaganyaan- and it is possible to send them in future.

He had also said ISRO would send a female humanoid – a robot that resembles a human – on its unmanned Gaganyaan spacecraft next year.

The ambitious mission aims to send humans into space on a Low Earth Orbit of 400 km for three days and bring them safely back to Earth.

“No doubt about it…but we have to find out such possible (women) candidates in the future,” Somanath told PTI over phone in response to a query.

Acknowledging his spiritual inclination, the ISRO Chairman engaged in prayers on Vijayadasami day.

After completing his prayers at the temple on Tuesday, Somanath sat down for more than 30 minutes to help toddlers write their first letters to mark the beginning of their education.

Somanath justified his participation, saying the ceremony has got nothing to do with religion but is only considered as the initiation to education.

“Alphabets are worshipped in this temple. We can see the alphabets of the Malayalam language displayed as Gods and Goddesses here and worshipped. So they belong to us as knowledge,” Somanath said.

He said on the day of Vijayadasami, children are introduced to the domain of knowledge by gurus, who have already acquired something.

“So when they transfer that knowledge to the children, it is a blessing. So we transfer the blessing to them so that they can become great in the years to come,” the ISRO chief said.

He said it is a blessing of spirituality from the gurus to the children to help them learn and understand about the whole universe.

Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director Unnikrishnan were also present in Pournami Kavu to help the children with Vidyarambam.

Shashi Tharoor, MP, took part in the Vidyarambam ceremony at Sree Saraswathy Devi Temple in Poojappura.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)