Oct 8, 2023, 07:34 PM IST
India's ambitious Gaganyaan project is set to launch to the International Space Station in 2024. Under the programme, a three-member crew will be launched for a three-day mission. The astronauts will be brought back to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.
Before the actual manned launch of Gaganyaan takes place, there will be precursor missions. This is to ensure technology preparedness levels. It includes Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights.
The launch of the manned mission will be done aboard the LVM3 rocket. As per Indian space agency ISRO, the rocket is a "well-proven and reliable heavy lift launcher". The various stages of the launch include solid stage, liquid stage, and cryogenic stage.
The module will be orbiting Earth. It is to include the Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM). While CM is a livable area with an environment similar to Earth, SM will give the required backing to CM.
The Gaganyaan crew are receiving special training at a facility in south Indian city of Bengaluru. It comprises classroom training, physical fitness training, simulator training, and flight suit training. The modules also include periodical flying practice, aero-medical training, and Yoga.