Gaganyaan mission: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) decided the time of testing of Gaganyaan. ISRO will launch the first Gaganyaan on the 21st of October between 7 and 9 a.m.

What is Gaganyaan?

Gaganyaan is a spacecraft being developed by ISRO to send 3 astronauts into low-Earth orbit before 2024. Gaganyaan is a Sanskrit word that means “celestial vehicle”.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft has a weight of 5.3 tons (12,000 lbs) and is capable of carrying a three-member crew. Notably, the crew module has been equipped with two parachutes for redundancy, ensuring maximum safety during the mission.

The spacecraft will orbit Earth for 5-7 days at an altitude of 300-400 km. After completing its mission, it will then return to safety by splashing down in the Indian Ocean as planned.

When Gaganyaan will be launched?

The first uncrewed test flight is scheduled for October 21, 2023, followed by three more uncrewed test flights and the first crewed flight in 2024.

This will be an experimental mission before the main mission. The first mission will be launched from Satish Dhawan Center in Sri Harikota. The uncrewed module in TV-D1 will be sent to space and returned. In this experimental mission, the environment inside Gaganyaan differs from that of crew Gaganyaan.

A human spaceflight will be launched after four tests

ISRO has prepared a plan for the human spaceflight Gaganyaan in 2024. This will be India’s first mission. In a three-day mission, a team of 3 members will be sent to Earth’s orbit 400 kilometres away. Gaganyaan landing will be in the sea. If India also achieves this success, it will become the fourth country to carry out a human spaceflight. America, China and Russia have done it before.

ISRO Chairman S Somnath has said that four experimental tests will be conducted before the launch of Gaganyaan. The first test in this will be held on 21st October. Preparations for D2, D3 and D4 tests have also been completed. The first test involves Gaganyaan going into space, coming back and then recovering after landing in the Bay of Bengal.

The parachute test is successfully done before the Gaganyaan mission

ISRO had successfully tested the drag parachute for Gaganyaan in the Chandigarh lab in August itself. This parachute will help the astronauts to return safely to Earth. This parachute will reduce the speed of the vehicle. Along with this, it will also work to keep it stable. It has been tested in a real environment.

Astronaut training begins for the Gaganyaan mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Gaganyaan Mission on 15 August 2018. This mission was to be completed by 2022 but was delayed due to Corona. Training of astronauts for this mission has started in Bengaluru. A budget of about Rs 90.23 billion has been allocated for the Gaganyaan mission.