Indian Manned Space Program
GSLV stands tall on the Launchpad.
Will ISRO ( Indian Space Research Organisation ) be the fourth country to send a manned spacecraft into the cosmos
ISRO is one of the finest space programmes, as it has a low budget, and manages to nail it every single time. So far, The USA, China and Russia have sent a person into space. Just take the Mangalyaan mission. ISRO sent a Mars orbiter with a fraction of the price of the America, and got it to the red planet on their first try. But, the question is, will ISRO become the world’s fourth manned space agency ?
ISRO is developing the Gaganyaan spacecraft, which will be launched by the GSLV MK3 which is ISRO’s newest rocket. Gaganyaan means SpaceCraft in Hindi, exactly what it is !
Gaganyaan is going to be a conventional spacecraft, similar to the Soyuz ( Russia ) and Shenzhou ( China ). It will be powered by a photovoltaic array, ( a network of solar panels connected through electrical wires ). The Spacecraft is separated into two parts, crew, which holds supplies and the crew, and the service module which carries the necessary fuel to get the spacecraft into orbit. Fun Fact : The Command module is a bright orange !, probably as it is easier to spot once it lands.
Launch to Landing
The GSLV carrying Gaganyaan will launch from Sriharikota, Satish Dhawan space centre off the coast of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It will spend Sixteen minutes flying through the air, and correcting its orbit, until it is on course to orbit the blue marble at LEO ( Low Earth orbit ) which is at an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi ). Gaganyaan will then spend five to seven days in orbit, conducting tests, research and experiments. Once the time in space is complete, It will deboost, sending the spaceship out of orbit. Then the separation of the crew and service modules will take place, following the heat shield doing its job, preventing the spacecraft from burning up while entering the atmosphere. Finally, parachutes will deploy, just before splashing down in the Arabian sea, near Gujarat, where an Indian naval ship, such as INS Jalashwa will be waiting to pick them up
Timeline
So far, Launch abort ( If something goes wrong, evacuation ) tests have been succeeding, the last being just a month ago. Splashdown tests will be conducted this year, with the capsule being actually launched into space. The manned launch will be sent up in the air by early 2025, and the unmanned counterpart will be launched in late 2023. Indian Air Force Fighter Pilots, who are already used to incredible G forces ( body weight pushing down on you ) which frequently happen in spaceflight are being sent to Star City training centre, in Moscow to train for the big day. Crew and escape suits have also finished designing, and the prototype has been made. It is equipped with emergency survival, visors and extra emergency oxygen.
Vyom Mitra
Vyom Mitra is a humanoid robot that has been made and programmed, that’s use is to assist the astronauts, and conduct experiments as well. Vyommitra will also research the effects of human spaceflight, both on the crewed and also even the uncrewed missions.
Hope you have gained new understanding about the Indian manned Space Project, and will continue reading more.
Thank you for reading this Sciwizo blog article.
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