• India has crossed a major milestone in its Gaganyaan mission with the successful completion of ground testing for its Human-Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3), Union Minister Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 23.

• The minister also informed that the crucial development and testing phase of the launch vehicle, along with propulsion systems for both the crew module and service module, has been successfully concluded.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is moving closer to realising its goal of making India the fourth nation capable of independent human spaceflight after Russia, the United States and China.

Gaganyaan Mission

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Gaganyaan mission in his Independence Day address in 2018.

• Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three days mission and bring them back safely to Earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.

• For the first human spaceflight, four Indian Air Force pilots have been selected and are undergoing extensive training for the mission.

• A budget of Rs 9,023 crore is allocated towards achieving the objectives of the mission.

• ISRO developed indigenous technologies for the launch vehicle, habitable Crew Module, life support system, Crew Escape System, ground station network, crew training and recovery.

• These technologies are crucial to meet the objectives of Gaganyaan mission and to take up any further interplanetary missions.

• Gaganyaan will not be a one-off mission as the government has given approval for a sustained human spaceflight programme.

• The programme comprises three uncrewed missions and one crewed mission.

• The maiden Gaganyaan uncrewed mission is expected to be launched in December 2025 with a humanoid robot, Vyommitra.

• After proving the basic capabilities for human space activities under Gaganyaan programme, the next logical step is to initiate the development activities for a human habitat or a space station in the Low Earth Orbit to enable longer human space missions.

• In this regard, the long-term vision of the Indian Human Space Programme includes Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) by 2035 and Indian Moon Landing by 2040.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)