First abort mission of Gaganyaan in May: Govt
About Abort Mission: The Gaganyaan program aims to demonstrate India’s capability to launch humans into Low Earth Orbit using an Indian launch vehicle and bring them back safely. The programme includes four abort missions, the first of which is scheduled for May 20, 2023. The program also includes several test vehicle missions and an uncrewed mission planned for 2024. The total expenditure as of October 30, 2022, was ₹3,040 crore. The Human-rated Launch Vehicle Systems have been tested and qualified, as have the propulsion system tests. The crew escape system has been designed, and the stage for the first flight has been completed. The Crew Module structure for the TV-D1 mission has been delivered, and all Crew Escape System motors have been static-tested. Batch testing is currently underway.
March 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
What is Gaganyaan program?
The Gaganyaan program is India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, aimed at demonstrating India’s capability to launch humans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and bring them back safely. The program involves designing, developing, and launching a crewed spacecraft into space using an Indian launch vehicle.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Department of Space collaborated on the Gaganyaan programme. The program has four main objectives, which are to demonstrate the capability to:
- Design and develop a crew module for human spaceflight.
- Launch a crewed spacecraft into orbit.
- Provide life support and other essential systems for the crew.
- Recover the crew module safely after the mission.
The program has a budget of around Rs 10,000 crore and aims to launch the first crewed mission by the end of 2024. The crewed spacecraft will carry two or three Indian astronauts to LEO, where they will stay for up to seven days before returning to Earth.
The Gaganyaan program has several technical challenges, including the design of a crew module, the development of a reliable launch vehicle, and ensuring the safety and well-being of the crew in space. However, if the programme is completed successfully, India will become the fourth country after the United States, Russia, and China to launch humans into space on their own spacecraft.