India will conduct a major test in its ambitious manned space mission Gaganyaan as early as next month, the mission’s project director R Hutton told Reuters.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is currently training four astronauts and is looking to expand the cohort as it focuses on more future crewed missions, Hutton said.
The Gaganyaan mission aims to develop a human-habitable space capsule that will carry a three-person crew into a 400 km (250 mi) orbit for three days before returning to safety during a planned landing in the Indian Ocean.
ISRO has said it will explore ways to achieve a sustainable human presence in space once Gaganyaan is completed.
The team wants to test the crew escape system, which could be used to eject astronauts in emergency situations, before carrying out a series of other tests before the final launch phase, Hutton said, adding: “Safety is the most important thing we need to ensure “.
About Rs. €90.23 billion has been earmarked for the mission, which follows the historic landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon’s south pole.
While an exact timeline has not been shared yet, the mission is expected to be launched before 2024 from the country’s main spaceport, Sriharikota.
The space agency earlier said the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center successfully tested systems for stabilizing the crew module and safely reducing its speed during reentry.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
