Susmita Mohanty wears many hats: spaceship designer, serial entrepreneur, and space diplomat. She is co-founder and director-general of Spaceport SARABHAI (S2), India’s first space-focused think-tank, which she founded in 2021. Ms. Mohanty has spent more than 25 years in the international space sector working with the Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Russians, and Indians in various capacities, and is invested in India’s transformation into a developed space economy, gender parity in the space ecosystem, and space sustainability. During an interview in her home in Bengaluru, she spoke to The Hindu about her disappointment with women being excluded from the process of choosing astronauts for the Gaganyaan’s first crewed mission, India’s place among spacefaring nations, and what our fledgling space spart-ups need to thrive. Edited excerpts follow.

Having more women in space, especially in leadership roles, seems important to you. You recently wrote about how no woman was eligible to be considered for Gaganyaan’s debut flight since the candidates were required to be combat pilots of instructor grade, which ruled out women candidates.

My reaction to the all-male Gaganyaan astronaut selection was natural since I grew up in an India where women have always been part of the ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] workforce and have taken to science and engineering quite happily. ISRO has a good gender balance. If you talk to women scientists in ISRO, they will tell you they enjoy working there.  Besides, India has the highest number of women pilots in the world. Instead of celebrating that and letting them compete, we are just closing the gate on them. It doesn’t make sense. 

Due to advances in space technologies, flying to space is now accessible to ordinary citizens who haven’t been part of a military environment, which is why you have space tourists. Even if the [Gaganyaan] selection committee wanted to limit the first round to IAF pilots, they could easily have allowed the women IAF pilots to compete.

We have more than a hundred women non-combat (helicopter, transport) pilots because we started accepting women in the IAF [Indian Air Force] 30 years ago, in 1993. A retired IAF friend told me that we now have 19 women combat pilots since we started inducting them in 2016.  Not allowing our women pilots to compete was a huge missed opportunity for India.

I wish I didn’t have to write these articles in the first place. We have women who are qualified, capable, and raring to go. So why shut the gate on them? Stop being gatekeepers, let there be fair play.

Can you talk about your childhood in Ahmedabad, and how it shaped your imagination about space?

I was raised in what I call Sarabhai-and-Gandhi Ahmedabad, [which is] rather different from its contemporary avatar. My school principal was a Gandhian. Local industrial families were engaged in cultural philanthropy and institution building and promoted internationalism.

Among the many great institutions that nurtured my curiosity, creativity, and renaissance-upbringing were the School of Architecture (CEPT), Kanoria Arts Centre, National Institute of Design, Space Applications Centre, Physical Research Laboratory, Centre for Environment Education, Textile Research Association, and the Indian Institute of Management.

In my years since, I have lived in multiple cities in the U.S. and Europe. I have travelled the globe. Never have I come across a city that has so many institutes of excellence in such a small radius. Raised in a milieu of space pioneers and renowned contemporary architects, I was smitten with the idea of space architecture and design.

I was a hyper-motivated kid. While in high-school, armed with a bicycle, my dad’s portable German typewriter, and access to amazing libraries, I started working on design problems of living and working in microgravity. Back then there was no internet. So I would use Indian post to mail design ideas to NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and American universities. Some even responded from time to time. That kept me going.

Where does India stand today among spacefaring nations? What is the Indian space economy like compared to other countries, and the country’s potential in space research and exploration?

India has one of the oldest space programs in the world. We did our first sounding rocket launch in November 1963. Getting to a successful Moon landing has taken 60 years of hard work and perseverance with many milestones along the way. We launched our first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975; had our first successful PSLV launch in 1993; and our first successful GSLV launch in 2001. We launched our first Moon mission in 2008 and Mars mission in 2013.

As an independent young nation, as we started to slowly recover from more than 200 years of colonial plundering, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had the foresight to commit a substantial chunk of our meagre funds to science and technology early on. That foundation is fundamental to who and where we are today, as a nation. Any country with an advanced space programme such as ours takes a good half a century to get there. Space technology is complex. 

At international space forum, when I hear anyone refer to India as an ‘emerging space nation’, I flinch. I always insist on setting the record straight. The level of ignorance, even arrogance is often staggering. The old space narrative has a strong Western bias because it was largely shaped by the Cold War and Hollywood films.

India ranks among the top six space-faring countries in terms of space capabilities, the others being the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, and France. If you count Moon landings, then France can be dropped from the list. Soon India will become one of four countries to have independent human spaceflight capability once we launch humans into low-earth orbit.

Some of us are working on crafting a new 21st-century space narrative to reflect the [space] power shift to the eastern hemisphere, with China, India and Japan leading the way.

In 2007, when I decided to leave San Francisco and move back to India, I wrote to my mentor Arthur Clarke about my decision. He wrote back saying, “That is very strategic.” When I asked him why he thought so, he wrote back saying, “Everything began in the East and is going back there.” He cited the example of Chinese alchemists having invented gunpowder and said, “No gunpowder, no rockets.”

As someone passionate about preserving the environment, both our own and in outer space, can you talk about the impact of space debris?

I worry about the Moon because it is back in the cross-hair of human exploration. The Moon’s pristine environment will most surely be impacted adversely by human greed and the need to monetise everything. Space agencies and private companies will not stop at exploration and will likely resort to [mass] extraction of resources. Some countries such as the U.S. and Luxembourg have unilaterally passed laws that will allow their private companies to extract and own space resources. The prospect of space mining is real.

That’s not all. Humans are good at littering – there is proof on earth and in low-earth orbit.

We have made low-earth orbit a dangerous place because of tonnes of debris generated due to human activities. Debris objects can be as small as a chip of paint or as big as a defunct satellite or a discarded solar panel. Debris statistics on the ESA’s website indicate we have around 36,000 objects larger than 10 cm, 1 million objects between 1 cm and 10 cm, and 130 million objects between 1 mm and 1 cm. Orbiting debris moves at 28,000 km/hour, so it packs a punch.

Some space debris burns up as it re-enters the atmosphere, some fall into the ocean, and some onto land. Not all debris re-entries are controlled. For example, NASA had jettisoned a large pallet of old batteries weighing roughly 2.6 tonnes from the orbiting International Space Station [ISS], intending for them to burn up on re-entry. A fragment survived the journey and crashed into a Florida home in March this year.

There are Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee [IADC] guidelines for post-mission disposal of space hardware, but not everyone follows these procedures

How can space play a role in monitoring the effects of the climate crisis?

Earth observation (EO) satellites don’t just help us monitor global warming and ice melts, they also help tackle the impacts of climate change. For example, my former company Earth2Orbit’s EO analytics business arm had developed models that used satellite imagery and advances in machine-learning analytics for use cases that could make cities ‘climate smart’, for example monitor pollution, heat islands, urban sprawl, underground water.

Further, space technology spin-offs and satellite services have applications that can benefit the environment. Satellite-based systems can be leveraged to help reduce vehicle emissions, make wind turbines more efficient, and help solar cells produce more energy.

Most applications use a cocktail of satellites for telecom, remote sensing, meteorology, and navigation. Companies involved in downstream applications are innovating and creating new services and products to mitigate climate change and to help people, for example farmers and fisher folk, cope with climate change.

I’d like to talk about your journey as a space entrepreneur, and the three start-ups you’ve founded on three continents: MOONFRONT in San Francisco, LIQUIFER in Vienna, and EARTH2ORBIT (E2O) in India. Why did you choose to go the entrepreneurial route?

I began my professional space journey in 1997 with a brief stint at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre. After that, I worked for the ISS programne at Boeing in southern California for almost three years. This gave me an in-depth understanding of how the space industry works.

In 2000, I left Boeing, moved to San Francisco, and started a boutique space consulting firm called MOONFRONT. I decided to become an entrepreneur because when you work for a space agency or a large company, you cannot speak your mind freely. You have to toe the line, more or less. I am the type who likes to ask questions and challenge the status quo.

Four years after MOONFRONT, I co-founded a space architecture and design firm called LIQUIFER with a friend in Vienna. LIQUIFER Systems Group, as it is now called, not only designs space exploration, habitation, and transportation systems but also makes full-scale prototypes and tests them in analogue environments.

In 2008, I moved back to India and started my third venture, EARTH2OBIT (E2O). E2O played a pivotal role in opening up the U.S. launch market for the ISRO’s PSLV rocket. We also developed EO analytics products for crop forecasting and making cities climate-smart.

In 2021, I co-founded India’s first dedicated space think tank. We provide research-based policy guidance to the government, give India an international voice, and push for reforms that can help India become a developed space economy.

There has been a lot of conversation around the privatisation of space in India. We are privatising space launches and are in the process of allowing FDI in the manufacture of satellites. Your thoughts?

Privatising routine satellite and rocket assembly for mature technologies could have started two decades ago. I am told there was reluctance and pushback from the government space agency. The fear of losing control was palpable. The fact that it is finally happening is good news. Not just privatisation but even commercialisation of ISRO-tech has started to get traction.

Broadly speaking, there are three kinds of space companies in India currently: the NewSpace start-ups, legacy companies big and small that have been catering to ISRO’s needs for several decades, and telecom companies such as Jio Satcom and the Bharti Group-backed OneWeb.

The space reforms announced by the Indian government in 2020 mark the beginning of a new phase in India’s space journey. Operationalising those reforms will take time, but it is a move in the right direction. There is now a space regulator called IN-SPACe that is the one-stop interface for space companies seeking licenses, access to environmental test facilities, and other forms of cooperation to get their businesses rolling.

What is missing is funding on the scale you find in developed space economies such as the U.S. SpaceX, for example, would not exist without the billions of taxpayer funds it gets from NASA and the DoD [Department of Defense]. An American EO satellite company’s largest customer is usually the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Reconnaissance Office. Similarly, our government needs to become an ‘anchor customer’ for our companies for them to scale and thrive. The government cannot expect our companies to run on private capital.

In 2023, IN-SPACe’s ‘Decadal Vision and Strategy for the Development of the Indian Space Economy’ claimed it will propel India’s fledgling space industry from $8.2 billion currently to $44 billion by 2033. The reality is quite humbling. In 2023, cumulatively our [250 or so] space start-ups raised a meagre $134 million.

This February, the government announced FDI [foreign direct investment] liberalisation for the space sector. The FDI money will come in only when we have absolute regulatory clarity, a somewhat evolved space insurance landscape, and better protection of intellectual property. We also need national space legislation, which is yet to happen. So there is a long way to go. We are just getting started.

New Delhi:

The Indian Space Research Organisation is setting its sights again on the Moon after a successful Chandrayaan-3 mission last year, but now it plans to send humans to the natural satellite.

Speaking to NDTV, ISRO chief S Somanath talked about the future missions and the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) India is building to take humans to the Moon. “We are building a new rocket called NGLV or ‘Soorya’. It is currently under design and will have a new engine based on LOx (Liquid Oxygen) and Methane. It will have liquid oxygen and methane engines for the lower stages, the upper stages will have a cryogenic engine.”

He added that ‘Soorya’, India’s mega-rocket, will be much bigger than the present ones. The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) payload capacity will be over 40 tonnes, this is very much required for human spaceflight missions. It is the Soorya rocket that will send India’s Gaganyatri to the lunar surface, hopefully by 2040.

The Pushpak Reusable Launch Vehicle

When asked about the Pushpak, the un-crewed, autonomous winged reusable launch, Mr Somanath said, “The first phase of Pushpak’s scaled-down version is over, with three successful safe landings, we are in the process of building a bigger version, which would be 1.6 times the scaled-down model. It will be tested on similar lines with landing first and it will be launched through a rocket to orbit. The focus has shifted there now.”

Mr Somanath added that it will be launched on a three-stage to the orbit. The ISRO chief also explained the value of the Pushpak vehicle and said, “It can take the payloads up and bring them back. The payload is more valuable than the rocket itself and because of that it is cost-effective. Deploying a satellite using Pushpak is not cost-effective, then you can use SSLV, PSLV, LMV-3 or GSLV. Using the reusable launch vehicle the endeavour would be to send a payload conduct experiments in orbit and bring it back then it has a lot of value.”

India’s First Space Station

On the first Indian Space Station, the ISRO chief told NDTV, “We are currently designing it. The space station’s first phase has to be built by 2028. We have completed or rather, engineered the detailed design, which is capable of being launched by the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3). So, in 2028, we will start by launching the first module.”

The ISRO chief also informed that his team has made the full project report and cost estimate for government approval. The space station will initially be developed and designed to handle robotic activity.

“It will only be robotics to start with because the process has to succeed and we have to build the capability for human spaceflight. A lot of confidence has to be built to operate for a long period. So, that will only happen in 2035. Until then, the space station will be developed and designed to handle robotic activity with an external robot mechanism,” he said.

Mr Somanath also mentioned that India might not participate in a global effort to replace the International Space Station if it is decommissioned.

“We are limited by our resources and efforts required. We have to be on equal footing to talk about it,” he said.

Bengaluru:

When Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath threw the floor open for questions over Instagram on Saturday, not only did people want to know about next Chandrayaan, asteroid missions and space stations, but also if ISRO can find water and if ISRO can teach 10-year-olds to build nano satellite. But with only an hour earmarked for #asksomanathisro, S Somanath could only answer a fraction of the questions posted by aspiring scientists and space enthusiasts. Questions on water on the moon and nano-satellite classes for 10-year-olds have to wait till next session.

The session on April 27, between 6pm and 7pm, was attended by nearly 1,500 people.

S Somanath chose questions aimed to encourage students and enthusiasts to pursue careers in science and technology, even geology, emphasising that ISRO offers diverse opportunities beyond just astronaut roles.

Answering a question on whether it would be possible for humans to build a fully sustainable space colony, ISRO chief said it is not likely in the near future.

“There are huge technical challenges to create a planet like earth elsewhere. It also requires huge investment, so in the immediate future I don’t see it happening,” said S Somanath.

S Somanath also talked about how ISRO is actively working on sample return missions, where spacecraft collect samples from celestial bodies (such as the Moon or asteroids) and bring them to Earth for analysis.

Answering a question which wondered whether ISRO’s collaboration with NASA to jointly build a satellite equipped with advanced features such as large reflectors and high antennas for clear data transmission for US$ 1 billion is expensive, S Somanath said considering what the ISRO is getting in return, the cost is justified.

He also explained about nano satellites and how it is now possible to make satellites weighing less than 1 kilogram that are as efficient as 100-kilogram satellites. He also answered questions about exoplanets, space junk and Chandrayaan 4.

Earlier on March 2, S Somanath had interacted via Instagram answering select questions from the audience focusing on providing insights and guidance. His engagement through Instagram allows direct interaction with space enthusiasts as well as creating awareness about ISRO’s work.

The next Instagram session will be in May for which the date and time will be announced soon, he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

ISRO chief S Somnath on Sunday said that the Aditya L1 solar mission of the premier space research agency is continuously sending data about the Sun.

Mr Somnath, who was speaking to reporters here, said several instruments of the spacecraft are working continuously to feed data on many aspects.

“We are looking into the sun in a continuous manner – UV magnetic charges observation, corona graph observation, X-ray observation and other things,” he said.

India’s first solar mission craft, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched on September 2, 2023.

“As we are keeping this satellite for five years, the observation will be analysed as a long-term measure. It is not like your instant news that something has been reported about the sun today, something else will happen tomorrow, things will happen every day,” he explained.

All observations will happen now but the results will be known later, he said.

“Eclipse happens as the sun is blocked by the moon. It is not like that anything happens within the sun during an eclipse. But obviously, our mission is also collecting data about the sun before, during, and after an eclipse,” Mr Somnath said while answering a question on whether the mission will throw light on the solar eclipse.

Speaking about collaborations with other space agencies, he said ISRO is building a joint satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar). 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday said that the space program has built “indigenous capability” in space sector adding that they have their own programs and ways to decide what to do with that in future.

S Somanath today visited Kalam’s Institute of Youth Excellence in Hyderabad and facilitated students.

“The space program has built indigenous capability in the space sector from building our rockets, satellites and our application programs to serve the country in civilian and strategic sectors. We have accomplished that. Today, we are a force to reckon with in the space sector and we have our own programs and ways to decide what to do with that in future. That is the power we have today. Now, with the opening of the space sector, private companies and start-ups are coming and this area is going to expand in terms of economic activity in space sector. The change is what is happening now,” he said.

Further, S Somanath said that Kalam’s Institute of Youth Excellence have been working hard to inspire young people.

“They have been working very hard to inspire young people especially to what Kalam did in the past, creating an inspirational story around India’s growth. Today I got the opportunity to interact with the students and I believe it will make them easier to understand the path they will take in the space sector. ISRO will help in best possible way to help them,” he said.

Earlier, Director General of European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, heaped praise on the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its recent successful launches and said that India’s accomplishments in space and especially in lunar exploration is ‘astonishing’.

Aschbacher posted an appreciation post on X, after ESA hosted its 323rd Council meeting in Paris which was attended by the ISRO Chairman, S Somanath.

“What India is accomplishing in space – especially in Lunar exploration – is astonishing. We hosted ISRO’s Chairman, Dr. S. Somanath at ESA Council today. It was a milestone occasion for Delegates to learn more about current and future plans for ESA-ISRO cooperation,” he posted on X.

India is now the first nation to reach near the Moon’s unexplored South Pole and ranks amongst the top four nations to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.)

ISRO prefers woman fighter test pilots or female scientists for its Gaganyaan mission, the space agency chief S. Somanath said. File
| Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

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

He also said ISRO would send a female humanoid – a robot that resembles a human – in 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 the 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.

Also read: Gaganyaan: The mission to send Indians to space is on track 

His statement came a day after the ISRO successfully launched its TV-D1 test vehicle ahead of the human space flight mission Gaganyaan.

He said the manned mission is expected by 2025 and that it will be a short duration mission.

“Right now, the initial candidates are to be from Air Force fighter test pilots…they are a bit different category. Right now, we are not having women fighter test pilots. So, once they come, that is one route,” the Chairman said.

The second option was when there would be more scientific activity, he said.

“Then, scientists will come as astronauts. So, at that time, I believe that more possibilities for women are there. Currently, possibilities are lesser because there are no women fighter test pilots,” Mr. Somanath explained.

To a question, he said the ISRO’s target is to put a fully operational space station by 2035.

ISRO had successfully launched TV-D1 test vehicle ahead of the human space flight mission Gaganyaan on Saturday.

After overcoming initial hiccups including delays, the space agency successfully launched the test vehicle with payloads related to the country’s ambitious Gaganyaan programme.

Scientists simulated an abort situation for the Crew Escape System to carry the Crew Module of the test vehicle out as they made a splash into the Bay of Bengal with planned precision.

ISRO prefers woman fighter test pilots or female scientists for its Gaganyaan mission, the space agency chief S. Somanath said. File
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

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

He also said ISRO would send a female humanoid – a robot that resembles a human – in 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 the 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.

Also read:Gaganyaan: The mission to send Indians to space is on track 

His statement came a day after the ISRO successfully launched its TV-D1 test vehicle ahead of the human space flight mission Gaganyaan.

He said the manned mission is expected by 2025 and that it will be a short duration mission.

“Right now, the initial candidates are to be from Air Force fighter test pilots…they are a bit different category. Right now, we are not having women fighter test pilots. So, once they come, that is one route,” the Chairman said.

The second option was when there would be more scientific activity, he said.

“Then, scientists will come as astronauts. So, at that time, I believe that more possibilities for women are there. Currently, possibilities are lesser because there are no women fighter test pilots,” Mr. Somanath explained.

To a question, he said the ISRO’s target is to put a fully operational space station by 2035.

ISRO had successfully launched TV-D1 test vehicle ahead of the human space flight mission Gaganyaan on Saturday.

After overcoming initial hiccups including delays, the space agency successfully launched the test vehicle with payloads related to the country’s ambitious Gaganyaan programme.

Scientists simulated an abort situation for the Crew Escape System to carry the Crew Module of the test vehicle out as they made a splash into the Bay of Bengal with planned precision.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath addresses the 50th Convention of the All India Management Association at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, September 27, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI

In a crucial step in India’s ambitious programme to lift its astronauts into space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will test its crew escape system (CES) on October 21, 2023. The flight, from Sriharikota, will test if the CES can protect the astronauts should the launch vehicle malfunction. ISRO has designated this mission TV-D1.

According to an ISRO statement, the test will begin between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. When the launch vehicle – fit with the crew module and the CES – reaches a velocity of 1.2 Mach and an altitude of 17 km, an abort command will be issued. The module with the CES will separate from the rocket and deploy a series of parachutes, and eventually splash down in the Bay of Bengal, where Navy personnel will recover it. The whole sequence will be uncrewed.

In the ultimate mission that will hoist the astronauts into a low-earth orbit in 2024 or 2025, the rocket will be the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3). But that on October 21 will be a single-stage rocket powered by liquid propellants. It was purpose-built for the TV-D1 mission and wheeled to the launch pad on October 15.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath spoke to T.S. Subramanian for The Hindu about this test, the crew module, and preparations for the human spaceflight programme, a.k.a. ‘Gaganyaan‘. Excerpts from the interview follow:

You will be soon testing the crew escape system of the Gaganyaan project, which will ultimately take the Indian astronauts into space. Have you made the LVM-3 rocket more powerful to carry the big crew module?

Gaganyaan has many, many elements [and] components. The rocket is one part of it. The rocket LVM-3, which will take the crew to orbit, is being strengthened. The process of strengthening it is already completed. That is called the ‘human rating’ of the vehicle. It is already over. All systems and engines have been tested and confirmed. So our rocket – human-rated – is virtually completed.

There is another element called the crew module and the crew escape system. The new crew module is under development. It is being tested. There is no capability in India to manufacture it. We have to get it from outside. That work is currently going on.

We wanted a lot of technology to come from outside, from Russia, Europe, and America. But many did not come. We only got some items. That is going to take time. So we have to develop systems such as environmental control and life support systems. We call it ‘ECLSS’. That has to be developed internally. We have developed its engineering model. This is basically for controlling the temperature, oxygen, wastage process, vibration, fire hazards, and so many [other] things.

We have to make a crew escape system. That is, in the case of any damage to the rocket, the crew will [have to] be taken away from the rocket and saved.

Finally, there is a system called Integrated Vehicle Health Management System, or IVHMS, which has intelligence. It will sense an imminent failure and take abort action. It will autonomously decide. This system is under development. These are new things. We have to test all of them over a period of time.

Hundreds of tests are planned: helicopter-based tests, test-vehicle-based tests, rocket-based tests, abort tests, unmanned [tests], robotic missions, and so on. All these will be done. For the next one year to a year and a half, this will be our programme. Every day, there is some test happening. Every subsystem and component goes through hundreds of tests. When a major test happens, the press will know about it.

The test vehicle test will happen in October [i.e. October 21]. It will be an abort test. The launch vehicle will take the unmanned crew module up to a height of 17 km. Then we will say the mission is ‘aborted’. It will [have to] be saved using the crew escape system. It will bring back the module to the sea and we will collect it.

In the real mission, will three Indian astronauts go in the crew module to low-earth orbit?

Finally how many people will go, we will decide later. Not now. We don’t have to send three… We can also send one in the first mission. There is no hurry to send three. We can send one by one. Ultimately, we can send even 10 astronauts. Why limit to three? That is not a measure of anything. If you are able to send a human being into space, that is it.

It depends on our confidence at that point of time… Only when we are very sure of ourselves, we will send human beings into space. Otherwise, we will not do that. In my opinion, it will take more time than we really thought of. We are not worried about it. What we are worried about is that we should do it right the first time.

The schedule is secondary here. Even if I send a person tomorrow, I am not going to achieve anything other than claim that I have sent this person. The capability development is most important. Technology development is most important. Some claims I made last year are not important. I am focusing on capability development.

Chennai:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Sreedhara Somanath met Indian chess player Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa at his house in Chennai on Monday. The ISRO chief gave a replica miniature of the GSLV rocket to the chess player as an encouraging gift and wished him all success in his upcoming matches.

During Mr Somanath’s visit, Mr Praggnanandhaa showed his prizes to him and expressed his wishes for the success of ISRO scientists and for the future Mission Gaganyaan.

Praggnanandhaa’s father Ramesh Babu was also there when Mr Somanath met the chess player in Chennai on Monday.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: ISRO Chairman S Somanath meets Indian Chess Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa at his residence in Chennai pic.twitter.com/iDx27xqBIs

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2023

While speaking with Mr Praggnanandhaa, ISRO chief Somanath said that Pragyan Rover is sleeping continuously now but the chess player should be active to make India proud in the upcoming days.

While speaking to the press, Mr Somanath said that he is very proud of what he has achieved and hoped that he will become the world’s number one chess player soon.

He added that Prag is on the ground and ISRO has Pragyan on the Moon.

The ISRO chief further said that Mr Praggnanandhaa will be working with the space agency to promote space in India.

“We are very proud of him for his accomplishments and also for his world ranking, 15 now. I believe in the coming days he will become world number one. He is Praggnan on the ground, and we have Pragyan on the Moon. What we have achieved on the moon, he has done it on land. He will also be working with us in promoting space,” Mr Somanath said.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: ISRO Chairman S Somanath says, “Like every Indian, we are very proud of him (Praggnanandhaa) for his accomplishment. He is a world no. 15 now… He will become world no. 1… Chess is an old game started in India… We are the origin place of it…… pic.twitter.com/0YEdA5say5

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2023

Following the ISRO chief’s visit, Mr Praggnanandhaa said that it was a proud moment that Mr Somanath visited them. The chess also added that he got an invitation from Mr Somanath to visit Sriharikota.

“It is a very proud thing that he has visited us. He also invited me to visit Sriharikota where rockets are being launched. We are very proud of what ISRO has achieved,” Mr Praggnanandhaa said.

On August 24, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen defeated grandmaster Praggnanandhaa to clinch the title of the International Chess Federation World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. He fought hard but fell short with Carlsen summoning all his big match experience when it mattered the most.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)