India’s first astronaut on Moon by...: ISRO chief Somanath unveils space plans post Chandrayaan-3
the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to send Indian astronauts for the first time to the Moon by 2040. ISRO Chairman S Somanath said four pilots from the Indian Air Force have been selected for the mission, and they are undergoing training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru-based space agency is planning to launch a crew of two to three Indian astronauts into Low Earth Orbit for up to three days and bring them back safely to a predefined site in Indian waters as part of the Gaganyaan programme, an article in Manorama Yearbook 2024 said citing the Isro chairman. “Looking ahead, ISRO aims to take the next step in space exploration with the Gaganyaan programme, planning to launch a crew of 2 to 3 Indian astronauts into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for up to three days before safely returning them to a predefined site in Indian waters," the article quoted Somanath as saying.
Ahead of the manned mission, the space agency is planning to send two identical un-crewed missions (G1 & G2) besides Integrated Air Drop Test, Pad Abort Test, and Test Vehicle flights. ISRO is also developing critical technologies like a human-rated (capable of safely transporting humans) launch vehicle (HLVM3), an Orbital Module comprising a Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM), besides life support systems for the Gaganyaan mission.
The Crew Module is a habitable space with an Earth-like environment in space for the crew and is designed for safe re-entry. Safety measures also include a Crew Escape System (CES) for emergencies.
ISRO launched the first development flight of Test Vehicle (TV-D1) on October 21, 2023. The test vehicle successfully demonstrated in-flight abort of the
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