India’s Gaganyaan mission enters final phase with crewed launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2027

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India's highly anticipated first

human spaceflight mission

under the Gaganyaan programme is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. This would be a historic occasion in India's entry into space exploration and will go a long way in increasing the country's prestige for being among the select list of nations capable of sending humans to space on its own. The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, announced in a statement released on Tuesday.The Gaganyaan mission is a breakthrough for India in space exploration.

With its intensive testing, astronaut training, and technological innovation, the mission will not only make India one of the few countries capable of conducting independent human spaceflight but also pave the way for India's ambitious activities in future space exploration. With the launch approaching in 2027, the Gaganyaan programme is poised to make a lasting impact on India's technological and scientific capabilities, encouraging future generations to explore space.

Gaganyaan mission: India's preparation for human spaceflight with key test missions

India has already prepared beforehand with some key test missions before the human spaceflight. According to Minister Singh, these initial tests have played a major role in cementing the success of the upcoming mission.

TV-D1 mission: This was among the initial uncrewed test missions that helped evaluate the performance of various launch vehicle systems under real conditions.

Test Vehicle Abort Mission (TVAM): The first uncrewed abort test was successfully performed earlier this year. The mission was intended to demonstrate the Crew Escape System, safeguarding astronauts in case of a mid-flight emergency.

These successful test flights have set a solid foundation on which the upcoming missions will be constructed. The second test mission, TV-D2, will be undertaken later in 2025, after which there will be a sequence of unmanned flights into orbit to offer simulation of the actual environment of a human flight.

Important milestones on the pathway to 2027 human flight

Minister Singh reinforced that these test missions are not only advanced rehearsals but vital stepping stones to India's historic first-ever human spaceflight. The 2027 mission will be an important milestone, as it will see Indian astronauts fly into space onboard an Indian rocket, the LVM3, from Indian soil.This is a significant move, as it will establish India's capability to send people into space independently," Singh said. The emphasis of the program lies in the design of crew safety systems, orbital competence, and mission operations—the vital components of a successful human spaceflight.

India's Gaganyaan mission: Final stages of testing and integration of crucial systems

India's Gaganyaan mission relies on a variety of crucial systems, which are currently in the final stages of testing and integration. These are:

Human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle: The LVM3 is the primary rocket employed to propel the crew module into space. The LVM3 launch vehicle is specifically configured to meet the unique requirements of human space travel.

Crew Escape System (CES): CES is an emergency system which will protect astronauts by giving them an escape method from the spacecraft in case of an emergency during launch or ascent.

Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM): These will be the spacecraft modules that are to function as the astronauts' living space while in flight. The Crew Module contains the working and living space of the crew, and the Service Module provides power, propulsion, and life support capabilities.

Minister Singh further added that spacecraft recovery experiments have been conducted in conjunction with the Indian Navy. Sea recovery simulations are used to evaluate the recovery capability following the safe return of astronauts from space, and further recovery trials will be executed in the near future.

Astronaut training as the key to Gaganyaan Mission success

One of the essential elements in the success of the Gaganyaan mission is the training of the astronauts who will be flying. Four pilots of the Indian Air Force were selected to form part of the mission. The astronauts have already completed basic training in Russia, where they underwent intense training in spaceflight and survival.The astronauts are now undergoing additional mission-oriented training in India. The training includes their health check-up, psychological state, and operational readiness. The checks are conducted at the Indian centre for training astronauts, which has been developed to spaceship-condition the astronauts.

India advances technology through Gaganyaan mission

Minister Singh also highlighted the economic value of India's Gaganyaan programme. Compared to similar human spaceflight missions that other nations have undertaken, India's expenditure on the programme continues to be relatively low. But the payoff in terms of technological progress and economic activity will be extremely high. The Gaganyaan programme has promoted innovation in a variety of fields:

Robotics: Robotics technologies have advanced immensely, particularly in the automation of launch and recovery operations.
Materials Science: The condition of materials that can withstand space conditions has improved significantly.
Electronics and Medicine: Space-based technology finds itself being used in a wide range of industries, including healthcare and electronics.

Other than that, the program has encouraged greater collaboration with private industry, opening up new possibilities for economic development and technological progress. Singh stated, "Today, Gaganyaan is not just ISRO's mission; it is India's mission."

India prepares for a new era of human space exploration

The Gaganyaan program is not just a matter of sending people into space—there is a bigger plan in store for India's future in space travel. Approached in December 2018, the program aims to place India at the forefront of human space travel technology. The mission will lay the foundation and technological know-how to make further space operations possible in the future.The long-term goals are:

Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS): India is aiming to have a space station of its own, namely the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, by the year 2035. This will be a significant milestone for India's space endeavors, both as a site for scientific experiments as well as for foreign collaboration.

Indian crewed lunar mission: India targets launching astronauts to the Moon by the year 2040, when India shall be joining the club of crewed lunar missions.

To the changing complexity of the space programme, there have been revisions in the Gaganyaan mission to include other precursor missions and hardware advancements needed for the building of the space station. According to the revised plan, the human spaceflight programme now includes eight missions, to be completed by December 2028, with the last one being the launch of the first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1).Also Read | Ever wondered when life on Earth will end? A supercomputer has the answer—here’s what it predicts

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