Female robotic astronaut 'Vyommitra' will fly into space ahead of ISRO's ambitious Gaganyaan mission, India's first human manned spaceflight that will take Indian astronauts into space.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh made this announcement in Delhi on Sunday during an interaction with the media.
“The unmanned mission 'Vyommitra' is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of this year, while a manned mission 'Gaganyaan' will be launched next year i.e. in 2025,” Singh said.
He explained that Vyommitra is a name derived from two Sanskrit words namely “Vyoma” (meaning space) and “Mitra” (meaning friend).
This female robotic astronaut is equipped with the ability to monitor module parameters, issue alerts and perform life support operations. It can perform tasks such as operating six panels and answering questions,” he said.
Singh further explained that the 'Vyommitra' astronaut has been designed in such a way that it simulates human functions in the space environment and interacts with the life support system.
He added that in the run-up to the launch of India's first-ever manned space flight called 'Gaganyaan', the first Test Vehicle Flight TV D1 was conducted on October 21 last year.
This was to qualify the crew escape system and parachute system. The human review of the launch vehicle has been completed. All propulsion stages are qualified. All preparations have been made, Singh said.
While the unmanned unmanned robotic flight 'Vyommitra' will take place this year, 'Gaganyaan' will be launched next year, he said, quoted by the Ministry of Space.
The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human space capabilities by launching a crew of astronauts into a 400 kilometer orbit and then returning these astronauts safely to Earth by landing them in the marine waters of India.
Aside from the demonstration and evaluation of test vehicle subsystems, other objectives of the TV-D1 launch included flight demonstration and evaluation of the Crew Escape System, including various separation systems and crew module features; and demonstration of the higher altitude deceleration system and its recovery.
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Published: Feb 5, 2024 11:32 AM IST