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.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath has said that ‘Gaganyaan’, the country’s first human space flight programme, is expected to be launched by the end of 2025.

The nation will have a space station by the year 2035. The ISRO is already working on Chandrayaan-4 to retrieve samples from the moon, he said after receiving the Sree Sankara Award instituted by the Adi Sankara Trust at a programme held at Sree Sarada Vidyalaya, Kalady, on Saturday.

Adi Sankara Trust managing trustee K. Anand presented the award, comprising ₹1 lakh, citation, and a memento, to Mr. Somanath. The ISRO chief handed over the money for the welfare programmes of the trust, according to a release.

He also inaugurated the Sarada Progressive Advanced Research Collaboration at Sree Sarada Vidyalaya on the occasion.

New Delhi:

    
ISRO today successfully launched its unmanned test flight for its first human spaceflight mission – ‘Gaganyaan’ – in the second attempt after the lift-off was briefly put on hold.

“The lift off was put on hold initially after ground computer detected non conformance. We could identify it and correct it very quickly,” said ISRO chief S Somnath.

The ISRO Chief said that the purpose of the mission was to demonstrate the crew escape system. “The vehicle went slightly above the speed of sound, before it initiated the crew escape system,” he said.

“The escape system took the crew module away from the vehicle and subsequent operations including the touch-down at the sea have been very well accomplished,” he added.

“We will come back with more data and analysis after recovery of the crew modules from the sea,” Mr Somnath said.

Mission Director S Sivakumar said that all systems “performed well” during the test flight launch.

“This is like a never before attempt. It is like a bouquet of three experiments put together. We have now seen the characteristics of all three systems with what we wanted to test through this experiment or this mission. The test vehicle, the crew escape system, the crew module everything, we have perfectly demonstrated in the first attempt,” he said.

The ambitious space mission Gaganyaan is a significant milestone in the effort to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of setting up an Indian Space Station by 2035 and launch Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

ISRO has successfully completed the CE20 E13 engine hot test for the Gaganyaan qualification and 22-tonne thrust qualification.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the CE20 E13 engine hot test for the Gaganyaan qualification and 22-tonne thrust qualification.

The engine was tested at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri on September 22.

The CE20 engine is a vital component, serving as the powerhouse of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) responsible for propelling the upper stage (C25) of the LVM3 vehicle. It has demonstrated its capability by successfully operating at a thrust level of 19 tonnes in six successive LVM3 missions, including the Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two commercial OneWeb missions.

Also read: Explained | After Chandrayaan-3, what has ISRO planned?

“To enhance the payload capacity of the LVM3 vehicle, ISRO is upgrading the CE20 engine. The upper cryogenic stage is being transformed into the C32 stage with increased propellant loading capacity, and the engine is being modified to operate at a higher thrust level of 22 tonnes. To ensure the engine’s readiness for critical missions, a series of ground hot tests were deemed necessary. The CE20 engine hardware referred to as E13 was selected for both Gaganyaan qualification and 22-tonne thrust level operations,” the space agency said.

The journey to achieving a 22-tonne thrust capability began with E13 HT-01, a test focused on engine tuning, successfully conducted for a 50-second duration. This initial test set the stage for the upcoming trials. E13 HT-02 marked a significant milestone, conducted on August 3, with the engine operating flawlessly for an impressive 720 seconds. This test demonstrated the engine’s reliability and stability.

“The third hot test, E13 HT-03, was the pivotal moment in completing the CE20 engine qualification for the Gaganyaan program. On September 22, this test was conducted at the state-of-the-art test facility located at IPRC, Mahendragiri. During this test, the CE20 engine operated at the coveted 22-tonne thrust level for a duration of 670 seconds. Both the engine and the testing facility performed flawlessly, meeting all the performance parameters,” ISRO said.

It added that the successful completion of E13 HT-03 signifies the culmination of rigorous testing and the readiness of the CE20 engine for the Gaganyaan program. “With all the necessary tests completed, the CE20 engine is now poised for the demanding requirements of the Gaganyaan mission and future endeavours,” it added.

The Test Vehicle D-1/Crew Escape System mission of the Gaganyaan mission is likely to be conducted in the last week of October.