New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which will be the nation’s first manned space flight with Indian astronauts, will launch later than India’s female robot astronaut Vyommitra.
In the third quarter of this year, the unmanned Vyommitra mission is scheduled to launch, while the manned mission Gaganyaan is scheduled to launch in 2025, according to Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh.
Vyommitra is a name derived from two Sanskrit words – vyoma, meaning space, and mitra, meaning friend.
The robot astronaut can monitor module parameters, issue alerts, and execute life-support operations, the Union Minister said, adding it can also perform tasks such as operating six panels and responding to queries.
It has been designed in such a manner to simulate human functions in the space environment and interact with the life support system, Mr Singh said, according to a statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
On October 21, 2023, the first test vehicle flight, designated TV D1, was completed prior to the Gaganyaan launch. The purpose of this was to validate the crew escape and parachute systems. The launch vehicle has received its full human rating; all propulsion stages are qualified; and all necessary preparations have been made.
The goal of the Gaganyaan project is to send a crew of astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit and return them safely to Earth in order to demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities.
According to Mr. Singh, the Chandrayaan-3 Mission is operating as planned. The mission touched down on August 23, 2023, close to the Moon’s south pole. He said that the crucial inputs it sent would be shared shortly.
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