Introduction
Indian Air Force, IAF completes first level of astronaut selection for Gaganyaan mission on Sept 6, 2019 in Bengaluru. The Level-1 selection of Indian astronauts for mission Gaganyaan, India’s first human mission to space to send humans to space and bring them back in 2022 has been completed at Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru.
Taking to Twitter, the IAF said, "Completed Level-1 of Indian Astronaut selection for Gaganyaan missionat Institute of Aerospace Medicine. Selected Test Pilots underwent extensive physical exercise tests, lab investigations, radio logical tests, clinical tests and evaluation on various facets of psychology. #MissionGaganyaan."
In May 2019 year, the IAF signed an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for Astronaut Selection for Gaganyaan Mission and training for the Gaganyaan mission.
In July 2019, it was reported that India's first set of Astronaut Selection for Gaganyaan Mission will be test pilots and that they are likely to all be under the age of 40 years. Given the short timeline for the Gaganyaan Mission, a senior official part of the Gaganyaan planning team, said, “For the first mission (Gaganyaan) the entire crew will be test-pilots. ISRO and IAF have agreed upon this”. Test pilots are both physiologically and psychologically trained to adapt to situations that a space flight demands.
Astronaut Selection for Gaganyaan Mission- Why Test Pilots?“
It’s quite straight forward because space technology is essentially extension aviation. Test pilots, by virtue of their specializations, have always been called upon to study deeply all that can probably go wrong in something that has not been tried before. That gives them the edge as they are experienced in preparing themselves better. Also, in case things do not go as per planned, their specialization and experience kicks-in and helps them analyze the situation. This makes them the natural choice,” according to Rakesh Sharma.
Astronaut Selection for Gaganyaan Mission- Will Russia provide Space suits?
India has officially signed an agreement with Russia for the advanced training of astronauts that are finally picked. Most recently, Russia even indicated that the Indian mission may even use Russian space suits.In a statement issued from Moscow, Russian space agency Roscosmos, said” Russia and India are expecting to negotiate the contracts to supply windows, crew seats and spacesuits for the Indian crewed mission.” France has also offered cooperation, especially in the field of training flight surgeons.
Gaganyaan
Gaganyaan is India's maiden & manned human spaceflight mission and is intended to be the basis of Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people. In its maiden crewed mission ISRO’s largely autonomous 3.7-tonne (8,200 lb) capsule will orbit the Earth at 400 km (250 mi) altitude for up to seven days with a 3 person crew on board. The crewed vehicle is planned to be launched on ISRO's GSLV Mk III in December 2021. As of May 2019, design of the crew module has been completed.
| ISRO’s Gaganyaan - Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. | |
|---|---|
| First launch: | December 2020 (uncrewed); December 2021 (crewed) |
| Crew capacity: | 3 |
| Design Life: | 7 Days |
| Applications: | Crewed orbital vehicle |
| Manufacturers: | Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) |
| Country of Origin: | India |
| Operator: | ISRO |
| Applications: | Crewed orbital vehicle |
| Launch mass: | 7,800 kg (17,200 lb) (includes service module) |
What is the purpose of Gaganyaan?
The objective of the Gaganyaan project is to carry a three-member crew to low earth orbit and return them safely to a predefined destination on earth.A three-member crew will spend a minimum of seven days in the space. A human-rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module, which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a three-member crew for the duration of the mission.
Did you know?
Dr. S Unnikrishnan Nair is the founder Director of HSFC [Human Space Flight Center] and Shri R Hutton is the Project Director of GAGANYAAN project. The Centre has officially sanctioned Rs.10,000 crore in December 2018.Gaganyaan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2018 during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi.