Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO Making Leaps to Meet 2025 Target For Manned Mission

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is the Gaganyaan Mission?
• How is ISRO getting ready for the Gaganyaan Launch?
• Other ISRO’s Missions to be Launched this Year

Why in News?

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been busy working towards sending humans to space under the Gaganyaan Mission.

What is the Gaganyaan Mission?

• Gaganyaan project (expected to be launched in 2025) envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring them back safely to earth.
  • It is part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (IHSP), which was initiated (2007) by the ISRO to develop the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low earth orbit (LEO).
• Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3/GSLV Mk3) rocket – the well proven and reliable heavy lift launcher of ISRO, is identified as the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan mission.
  • India’s heaviest rocket consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage.
• All systems in the LVM3 launch vehicle are re-configured to meet human rating requirements and christened Human Rated LVM3/HLVM3.

Image Caption: Gaganyaan Mission – Major Milestones Planned

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How is ISRO getting ready for the Gaganyaan Launch?

• Some of the recent efforts –
  • HLVM3 launch vehicle,
  • Upgrading the mission control complex,
  • Building an ‘umbilical tower’ on the second launch pad (Sriharikota) for maintenance of the rocket while on the launch platform,
  • Agreement with Australia for setting up a mobile unit for direct-to-ground communication at Cocos Island.
• The selected astronauts have completed the first semester of the mission-specific training in India, after completing a generic training for spacefaring in Russia.
• The space agency will undertake two test vehicle missions to demonstrate crew escape systems mid-flight and the retrieval of the crew module once it splashed down in the ocean.
• This will be followed by the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission that will carry an unpressurised crew module.
• Subsequently, there will be two more test vehicle missions to check all systems before the second unmanned flight.

Other ISRO’s Missions to be Launched this Year:

• The space agency has planned 15 satellite and launch vehicle missions this year, including the launch of the recently operationalised small satellite launch vehicle and three space science missions.
• There will be one mission of the heavy rocket LVM3, which is likely to carry on-board Chandrayaan-3 likely by mid-2023.
  • The mission will complete the objectives of Chandrayaan-2, attempting a soft landing and then roving on the lunar surface close to the south pole of the celestial body.
• The Aditya L1 mission is likely to take place in June or July in 2023 on board the workhorse PSLV.

Q1) What is the Launch Vehicle Mark-3?

Previously referred to as the GSLV Mk III, it is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the ISRO. Primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit, it is also due to launch crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.

Q2) What is the Low earth orbit (LEO)?

LEO encompasses Earth-centered orbits with an altitude of 2,000 km or less. It is considered the area in Earth orbit near enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communication, observation and resupply.

Source: From astronauts’ training to tech upgrade, ISRO making leaps to meet 2025 target for manned mission | ISRO