What will Gaganyaan change for India?

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space technology

Context:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicised the final shortlist of candidates to be astronauts on board the maiden human spaceflight mission– Gaganyaan– of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

About Gaganyaan:

Gaganyaan is an ISRO mission aiming to send Indian astronauts to low-Earth orbit using an Indian launch vehicle.
It is a demonstration mission to test technologies essential for human spaceflight, showcasing India’s capability in producing, qualifying, and utilizing these technologies.
Future goals for ISRO include establishing an indigenous space station by 2035 and landing an Indian on the moon by 2040.
ISRO plans to integrate these ambitious projects with future lunar explorations, starting with a joint mission with Japan for lunar rover landing and a mission to return lunar soil samples to Earth.
The Indian government has expanded spaceflight and services responsibilities beyond ISRO to New Space India Ltd. (NSIL) for commercialization and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) for authorizing space activities.
Additionally, ISRO has established the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) to coordinate the Gaganyaan mission.

Components of Gaganyaan:

Gaganyaan’s components include the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3), the orbital module, and the crew.
- The LVM-3, previously known as the GSLV Mk-III, is a three-stage rocket with solid-fuel boosters, liquid-fuelled Vikas 2 engines, and an indigenous cryogenic engine using liquid hydrogen and oxygen.
- The orbital module, weighing 8.2 tonnes, comprises the crew and service modules. It can support up to three astronauts for a week and is equipped with parachutes, an environmental control and life-support system (ECLSS), and a crew escape system.
- The service module contains the propulsion system for orbital maneuvers and re-entry.
- The crew, consisting of Indian Air Force personnel Prashant Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Shubanshu Shukla, underwent training in India and advanced training in Russia.
The mission will also include a gynoid named ‘Vyommitra’ equipped with sensors to monitor various conditions and emergencies within the capsule.

How was the mission put together?

The Gaganyaan mission by ISRO was assembled following the Union Cabinet’s approval in 2018, building on technologies already realized by that time.
Post-approval, ISRO human-rated these technologies to meet human spaceflight standards.
Key preparatory experiments included the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE) in 2007 and the Crew-module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) in 2014, both crucial for testing module separation, heat shield efficacy, braking systems, and retrieval procedures.
Additionally, in October 2023, it was revealed that despite initial plans, the crew module would need to be procured internationally due to a lack of domestic manufacturing capability, and efforts to source Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technologies abroad were unsuccessful, leading ISRO engineers to develop them internally.
The mission’s components, including engines and rocket stages, underwent extensive testing, simulations, and quality control, exemplified by the completion of tests on four CE-20 engines under flight-like conditions.

What will Gaganyaan achieve?

Gaganyaan aims to establish India’s self-sufficiency in human spaceflight, enabling the country to send humans to space on its own schedule rather than depending on costly foreign launch services.
This initiative is part of broader space sector reforms in India, including the creation of NSIL and IN-SPACe, the National Geospatial Policy 2022, the Indian Space Policy 2023, and the Telecommunications Act 2023.
Furthermore, these reforms have encouraged investment in India’s emerging space startups by allowing 49% to 100% automatic foreign direct investment in space services and spaceflight.
The Indian Space Policy outlines India’s objectives for its space program in the coming decades, positioning the country within the global ‘space race’ that includes scientific, commercial, and exploratory missions beyond Earth.
Gaganyaan’s development aligns with these broader efforts, marking India’s presence in outer space and on the moon alongside other nations, emphasizing the importance of a human presence from diverse nationalities in space for extended periods.

Source: TH