Isro will need new tech to put humans on the moon
A space station by 2035, and a manned mission to the moon by 2040 are among the objectives listed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) test flight for a first manned mission. This would put India into a very exclusive club. The Gaganyaan is due to start with the first of at least three un-crewed tests of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle, which will be launched on 21 October.
This will involve carrying a crew of three persons out to an orbit of 400 km and bringing them back safely with the capsule splashing down in the sea near Sriharikota. At least 20 major tests of the various systems will be involved. The Isro will need to develop many technologies which it does not currently possess as well as train gaganauts and backup technical teams.
Obviously, failure is not an option which means safety standard must be pushed up by orders of magnitudes. Carrying instruments to the moon or Mars where they can be abandoned if required, is very different from carrying humans safely into space, keeping them healthy with life-support systems that shield them from hard radiation, extreme heat and cold, and bringing them back. Earlier Isro had intended to tap into Roscosmos resources and gaganauts were expected to undergo training in the Russian facilities (which are mostly in Kazakhstan).
However, after the Ukraine War, and after the signing of the bilateral Artemis Accords with the US, Isro will probably access NASA’s expertise in this regard while trying to develop its own in-house skills. Let’s list some of the engineering and environmental challenges. Space habitats have variable gravity – this is extremely low at most times but very high during periods when rockets are
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