Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired a high-level
meeting to assess the progress of Bharat’s Gaganyaan mission and the future of space
exploration programs.
The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview
of the Gaganyaan mission, including various technologies developed so far such
as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification.
It was noted that around 20 major tests, including 3
uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. The
first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled
for October 21 (Saturday).
ISRO is all set for the Flight Test Vehicle Abort
Mission a key part of its ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan, between 7 am
and 9 am this Saturday.
This flight will simulate the abort condition during
the ascent trajectory. Crew escape systems with crude modules will be separated
from the test vehicle at an altitude of about 17 km.
Subsequently, the abort sequence will be executed
autonomously commencing with the separation of crew escape systems and
deployment of the series of parachutes, finally culminating in the safe
touchdown of crew module in the sea, about 10 km from the coast of Sriharikota.
Meanwhile, the PM’s review meeting evaluated the
mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.
Building on the success of the Indian space
initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan 3 and Aditya L1 Missions, PM Modi
directed that Bharat should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including
setting up Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and
sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
To realize this vision, the Department of Space will
develop a roadmap for Moon exploration.
“This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions,
the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a
new launch pad, setting up human-centric Laboratories and associated
technologies,” Prime Minister’s Office said in a release.
PM Modi also called upon Indian scientists to work
towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and
a Mars Lander.
He expressed confidence in Bharat’s capabilities and
affirmed the nation’s commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.
Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human
spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km
for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in
Indian sea waters.
The pre-requisites for Gaganyaan mission include
development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle
for carrying crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like
environment to crew in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew
management aspects for training, recovery and rehabilitation of crew.
This program will make Bharat the fourth nation to
launch a manned spaceflight mission after US, Russia, and China.
On August 23, India took a giant leap as the
Chandrayaan 3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole,
making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat.
After having landed, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan
rover performed different sets of tasks on the lunar surface, including finding
the presence of sulphur and other minor elements, recording relative
temperature, and listening to movements around it.
Soon after the soft landing of Chandrayaan 3, India
launched its maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 on September 2.
So far in its journey, the spacecraft has undergone
four earth-bound manoeuvres and a Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I)
manoeuvres, all successfully. In the process, the spacecraft successfully
escaped the sphere of Earth’s influence.
In latest, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft performed a trajectory
correction manoeuvre (TCM), for about 16 seconds, which was needed to correct
the trajectory evaluated after tracking to keep it in its intended path.
ANI
