Indian human spaceflight program
Encyclopedia
The Indian human spaceflight program is a proposal by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) to develop and launch the ISRO Orbital Vehicle
, which is to carry a two-member crew to Low Earth Orbit
by 2016. The spaceship would be launched by India's GSLV-Mk II
launcher.
, indicated the agency is "seriously considering" a human spaceflight
mission. He further indicated that within a year ISRO would report on its development of new space capsule technologies.
Development of a fully autonomous orbital vehicle to carry a two-member crew into a low Earth orbit has already begun. ISRO sources said the flight is likely to be in 2016. Government had allocated for pre-project initiatives for 2007 through 2008. A manned mission into space would require about and a period of seven years. Planning Commission estimates that a budget of is required for initial work on the manned mission during the eleventh five year plan (2007–12). A project report prepared by ISRO has been cleared by space commission.
In February 2009 the Government of India has given the green signal for the Manned Space flight Program due to launch in 2016.
MC Dathan, director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre
(SDSC) stated that ISRO will set up a full-fledged training facility in Bangalore for training astronauts. ISRO is also planning to build a third launch pad at Sriharkota for manned missions with extra facilities like entry into the crew capsule and an escape chute.
The trials for the manned space missions began with the 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
(SRE), launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) rocket, and safely returned to earth 12 days later. This demonstrates India's capability to develop heat resistant materials necessary for re-entry technology.
In 1984, Rakesh Sharma
became the first Indian citizen to go into space, flying aboard a Soviet mission. Sharma was one of the scientists who endorsed the 2006 proposal for an Indian manned space program.
The major objective of manned mission program is to develop the fully autonomous three-ton ISRO Orbital Vehicle spaceship to carry a 2 member crew to orbit and safe return to the Earth after a mission duration of few orbits to two days. The extendable version of the spaceship will allow flights up to seven days, rendezvous and docking capability with space station
s or orbital platform.
ISRO plans to use for OV spaceship the GSLV-Mk II launcher (Mark two is Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
-II launcher with an indigenous cryogenic engine). About 16 minutes after lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
(SDSC), Sriharikota
, the rocket will inject the OV into an orbit, 300 km-400 km from the Earth. The capsule would return for a splashdown in the Bay of Bengal
.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore by 2012, to prepare personnel both for first orbital flights oboard an Orbital Vehicle (OV) and for future manned Moon missions which will land Indians on the Earth's natural satellite after 2020.
Disclosing this to mediapersons, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said: "We zeroed in on Bangalore
after identifying several favourable aspects. We have an aviation medicine institute in the city which will significantly contribute for the astronaut training."
A site of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) beyond the greenfield Bengaluru International Airport has been identified. The centre will train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations, surviving in a zero gravity situation, study of radiation environment and for the long journey in the space through water simulation.
India would receive assistance in crew selection and training from Russia
under an agreement signed between the two countries in March 2008. One option which was studied was a flight of an Indian astronaut aboard a Soyuz
capsule in preparation for the Indian mission. However, in October 2010 this option was given up.
ISRO will build centrifuges to train the astronauts on the high-gravity acceleration which occur when the vehicle lifts off. It also plans to build a new launch pad at a cost of as it proposed to undertake a manned space mission by 2016. It would be the third launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
on the east-coast in Andhra Pradesh
, some 100 km north of Chennai.
In spring 2009 the full scale mock-up of crew capsule of OV was built and delivered to Satish Dhawan Space Centre for training of vyomanauts. India will be short listing 200 IAF pilots for this purpose. ISRO is currently framing the criteria to short list the fighter pilots. The selection process would begin by the candidates having to solve a NASA questionnaire, after which they would be subjected to physical examinations like cardiac, dental, neurological, ophthalmologic, psychological, radiographic and ENT. They will also have to undergo several lab tests at Indian Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore.
Only 4 of the 200 will be finally selected for the first space mission training.While two will fly, two shall act as reserve.The process for selection of final four would commence only in 2012.http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/02/stories/2009050255231100.htm
and Russia
signed a memorandum of understanding on joint activities in the field of human spaceflight
programme during the visit of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
to India in Dec 2008.
According to the accord, an Indian cosmonaut will once again be part of a space mission on board a Russian spacecraft. This mission, tentatively scheduled for 2013, will precede a planned Indian manned spaceflight in 2016. This plan was abandoned later in 2010
"As per the agreement, an Indian astronaut will first go on a space mission on a Russian spacecraft. This will be followed by an Indian manned mission to space in 2015," Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
Under the MoU signed by G. Madhavan Nair
and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Perminov
, ISRO and Russian space agency Roskosmos have revealed that they will jointly build the spacecraft for the Indian manned mission.
"We will be redesigning the Soyuz
space capsule of the Russian agency for our mission," Nair said.
ISRO has already been sanctioned to study all aspects of the manned space mission, which will involve a two-member Indian crew spending a week in space. The spacecraft, to be placed in a low earth orbit, will splashdown in the Indian Ocean after completion of the mission.
ISRO has already announced the setting up of an astronaut training centre in Bangalore
. It has now said that a batch of 200 would be initially selected before four are finally shortlisted, of these two would go on the mission.
In 2010 Russia announced that India no longer planned to do a Soyuz mission.
s. The term Antariksha yaatri has been suggested as a more proper name (antariksha signifies space beyond our Earth and yaatri means 'traveller'), and this is the name used in official documents, as well as the Indian media. Other suggestions include vishvanaut (vishva- world, this reality) and brahmanaut (brahmand- universe).
Having considered several terms, Vyomanaut has been finalised by ISRO. The term Vyomanaut stands for Vyoma which means space or sky in Sankrit.
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO) to develop and launch the ISRO Orbital Vehicle
ISRO Orbital Vehicle
The Indian manned spacecraft temporarily named Orbital Vehicle is intended to be the basis of the indigenous Indian human spaceflight program. The capsule will be designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capability.In its maiden...
, which is to carry a two-member crew to Low Earth Orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
by 2016. The spaceship would be launched by India's GSLV-Mk II
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation...
launcher.
Preparations
On August 9, 2007 the then Chairman of the ISRO, G. Madhavan NairG. Madhavan Nair
G. Madhavan Nair is the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India since September 2003. He is also the Chairman, Space Commission and acts as the Chairman of Governing Body of the Antrix Corporation, Bangalore...
, indicated the agency is "seriously considering" a human spaceflight
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
mission. He further indicated that within a year ISRO would report on its development of new space capsule technologies.
Development of a fully autonomous orbital vehicle to carry a two-member crew into a low Earth orbit has already begun. ISRO sources said the flight is likely to be in 2016. Government had allocated for pre-project initiatives for 2007 through 2008. A manned mission into space would require about and a period of seven years. Planning Commission estimates that a budget of is required for initial work on the manned mission during the eleventh five year plan (2007–12). A project report prepared by ISRO has been cleared by space commission.
In February 2009 the Government of India has given the green signal for the Manned Space flight Program due to launch in 2016.
MC Dathan, director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
(SDSC) stated that ISRO will set up a full-fledged training facility in Bangalore for training astronauts. ISRO is also planning to build a third launch pad at Sriharkota for manned missions with extra facilities like entry into the crew capsule and an escape chute.
The trials for the manned space missions began with the 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
The Space Capsule Recovery Experiment is an Indian experimental spacecraft which was launched at 03:53 GMT on January 10, 2007 from Sriharikota by the Indian Space Research Organization . The launch was conducted using the PSLV C7 rocket, along with three other satellites...
(SRE), launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation . It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that...
(PSLV) rocket, and safely returned to earth 12 days later. This demonstrates India's capability to develop heat resistant materials necessary for re-entry technology.
In 1984, Rakesh Sharma
Rakesh Sharma
Wing commander Rakesh Sharma, AC, is a former Indian Air Force test pilot, and Cosmonaut aboard Soyuz T-11 as part of an Intercosmos Research Team...
became the first Indian citizen to go into space, flying aboard a Soviet mission. Sharma was one of the scientists who endorsed the 2006 proposal for an Indian manned space program.
Description and Development
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
s or orbital platform.
ISRO plans to use for OV spaceship the GSLV-Mk II launcher (Mark two is Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation...
-II launcher with an indigenous cryogenic engine). About 16 minutes after lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
(SDSC), Sriharikota
Sriharikota
Sriharikota is a barrier island off the coast of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It houses India's only satellite launch centre in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and is used by the Indian Space Research Organisation to launch satellites using multi-stage rockets such as the Polar...
, the rocket will inject the OV into an orbit, 300 km-400 km from the Earth. The capsule would return for a splashdown in the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore by 2012, to prepare personnel both for first orbital flights oboard an Orbital Vehicle (OV) and for future manned Moon missions which will land Indians on the Earth's natural satellite after 2020.
Disclosing this to mediapersons, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said: "We zeroed in on Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
after identifying several favourable aspects. We have an aviation medicine institute in the city which will significantly contribute for the astronaut training."
A site of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) beyond the greenfield Bengaluru International Airport has been identified. The centre will train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations, surviving in a zero gravity situation, study of radiation environment and for the long journey in the space through water simulation.
India would receive assistance in crew selection and training from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
under an agreement signed between the two countries in March 2008. One option which was studied was a flight of an Indian astronaut aboard a Soyuz
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
capsule in preparation for the Indian mission. However, in October 2010 this option was given up.
ISRO will build centrifuges to train the astronauts on the high-gravity acceleration which occur when the vehicle lifts off. It also plans to build a new launch pad at a cost of as it proposed to undertake a manned space mission by 2016. It would be the third launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
on the east-coast in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, some 100 km north of Chennai.
In spring 2009 the full scale mock-up of crew capsule of OV was built and delivered to Satish Dhawan Space Centre for training of vyomanauts. India will be short listing 200 IAF pilots for this purpose. ISRO is currently framing the criteria to short list the fighter pilots. The selection process would begin by the candidates having to solve a NASA questionnaire, after which they would be subjected to physical examinations like cardiac, dental, neurological, ophthalmologic, psychological, radiographic and ENT. They will also have to undergo several lab tests at Indian Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore.
Only 4 of the 200 will be finally selected for the first space mission training.While two will fly, two shall act as reserve.The process for selection of final four would commence only in 2012.http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/02/stories/2009050255231100.htm
Cooperation with Russia
IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
signed a memorandum of understanding on joint activities in the field of human spaceflight
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
programme during the visit of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
to India in Dec 2008.
According to the accord, an Indian cosmonaut will once again be part of a space mission on board a Russian spacecraft. This mission, tentatively scheduled for 2013, will precede a planned Indian manned spaceflight in 2016. This plan was abandoned later in 2010
"As per the agreement, an Indian astronaut will first go on a space mission on a Russian spacecraft. This will be followed by an Indian manned mission to space in 2015," Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
Under the MoU signed by G. Madhavan Nair
G. Madhavan Nair
G. Madhavan Nair is the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India since September 2003. He is also the Chairman, Space Commission and acts as the Chairman of Governing Body of the Antrix Corporation, Bangalore...
and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Perminov
Anatoly Perminov
Dr. Prof. Anatoly Nikolayevich Perminov is a Russian rocket scientist and a mechanical engineer. He served as the General Director of Russian Federal Space Agency in 2004–2011.-Career:...
, ISRO and Russian space agency Roskosmos have revealed that they will jointly build the spacecraft for the Indian manned mission.
"We will be redesigning the Soyuz
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
space capsule of the Russian agency for our mission," Nair said.
ISRO has already been sanctioned to study all aspects of the manned space mission, which will involve a two-member Indian crew spending a week in space. The spacecraft, to be placed in a low earth orbit, will splashdown in the Indian Ocean after completion of the mission.
ISRO has already announced the setting up of an astronaut training centre in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. It has now said that a batch of 200 would be initially selected before four are finally shortlisted, of these two would go on the mission.
In 2010 Russia announced that India no longer planned to do a Soyuz mission.
Terminology
The term Aakashagami (meaning 'sky traveller'), is a literary word in Sanskrit, similar to the word 'astronaut'. 'Brahmāndagami'(Brahmānda- space and Gami-traveller) is another Sanskrit word literally meaning 'space traveller'. However, the designation Gaganaut, derived from gagana (meaning 'the heavens' or 'vast sky above us'), has become popular amongst the Indian space community as a term for Indian astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s. The term Antariksha yaatri has been suggested as a more proper name (antariksha signifies space beyond our Earth and yaatri means 'traveller'), and this is the name used in official documents, as well as the Indian media. Other suggestions include vishvanaut (vishva- world, this reality) and brahmanaut (brahmand- universe).
Having considered several terms, Vyomanaut has been finalised by ISRO. The term Vyomanaut stands for Vyoma which means space or sky in Sankrit.
Source
- India's Space Odyssey - by Raj Chengappa - India TodayIndia TodayIndia Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
, pp 60 to 66 - February 5, 2007 - http://planningcommission.nic.in:80/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp11/wg11_subspace.pdf
- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/plan-panel-okays-isro-manned-space-flight/426945/
External links
- India mulls human space mission
- Indian scientists favour manned space mission
- ISRO to discuss manned mission to moon
- ISRO press release
- President Kalam’s vision: India will land on moon in August 2025
- India Wants To Send Man Into Space Ahead Of Further Missions Beyond LEO
- ISRO orbital vehicle record at Astronautix.com