Tests for unmanned mission by 2020-end, says ISRO chief

Context:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) planning its first unmanned test mission of the Gaganyaan mission.

Background:

• Gaganyaan will be the first manned space mission of ISRO which is proposed to be launched by 2022.
• India has already successfully developed and tested several building blocks, including re-entry space capsule, pad abort test, safe crew ejection mechanism in case of rocket failure, flight suit developed by DEBEL and the powerful GSLV-MkIII launch vehicle.
• The orbital and re-entry mission and recovery operations have been flight demonstrated in Space Capsule Re-entry Experiment (SRE) mission.
• Having met all required technological keystones, the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme was accepted and formally announced by the Prime Minister on 15 August 2018.
• Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the basis of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
• Gaganyaan is expected to carry three people into space for seven days. The largely autonomous capsule will orbit the Earth in the low earth orbit of 300-400 Km.
• The crewed vehicle is planned to be launched on ISRO’s GSLV Mk III in December 2021.  HAL has manufactured the crew module.
• With this, India could potentially become the fourth country to send a man to space, after the erstwhile USSR, the US and China. Denmark also has a manned space flight scheduled for 2022.

Details:

• Two unmanned Gaganyaan missions will be undertaken prior to sending humans.
• As per ISRO schedule, the first and second unmanned flights would be sent in orbit within 30 and 36 months beginning from August 2018.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to fly the first unmanned test mission carrying a humanoid ahead of its crewed Gaganyaan mission.

Significance:

The next frontier:

• In terms of space technology, a manned space programme is the obvious next step for India. India cannot afford not to develop the technological capacity for manned space flight because that will represent a major drawback in Indian space capabilities.

Scientific Knowledge:

• The astronauts would carry out a series of experiments, particularly microgravity experiments.
• Human spaceflight programme will provide a unique micro-gravity platform in space for conducting experiments and test bed for future technologies.

The impetus to R&D:

• Gaganyaan Programme will allow pooling in of diverse technological and industrial capabilities and enable broader participation in research opportunities and technology development benefiting a large number of students and researchers.
• The programme is expected to spur research and development within the country in niche science and technology domains.

Technological spinoffs:

• There is a huge potential for technology spinoffs in areas such as medicine, agriculture, industrial safety, pollution, waste management, water and food resource management, etc.

A national project:

• India’s quest to undertake human space flight and its earlier Moon and Mars missions prove the growing sophistication of India’s space program and ensure a seat at the high table of global governance of outer space.
• Gaganyaan Programme will establish a broader framework for collaboration between ISRO, academia, industry, national agencies and other scientific organisations. It will serve as a national project involving several institutes, academia and industry.

Economic Benefit:

• The mission would create 15,000 new employment opportunities, 13,000 of them in private industry. It is expected to train human resources in advanced technologies.
• The programme is expected to give impetus to economic activities within the country in terms of employment generation, human resource development and enhanced industrial capabilities.

Collaboration with other countries:

• India is collaborating with France and Russia for the mission. This would ensure strengthening the bilateral ties that India shares with the two countries.
• Human Spaceflight capability will enable India to participate as a collaborating partner in future global space exploration initiatives with long-term national benefits.

Long Term Benefits:

• Even if the direct benefits of such advancement may not be as great in the short-term, this is a necessary longer-term investment.
• The success of the mission will rekindle public imagination and get the young generation interested in space in particular and science in general.

Challenges:

• There is the need for necessary infrastructure for crew training, the realisation of flight systems and ground infrastructure to support the Gaganyaan Programme.
• India does not yet have the requisite facilities to train astronauts.
• Crew safety will be a major concern. India is yet to perfect fool-proof launch vehicle technology, the basic requirement for a manned space mission. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle, the two Indian spacecrafts deployed to launch satellites and modules into space, are yet to be man-rated.