ISRO's first Gaganyaan mission to launch in December: S Somanath
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for the inaugural mission of its ambitious Gaganyaan project, set to take place in December. This was confirmed by ISRO Chairman S Somanath during a press conference at Sriharikota on Friday. He provided an update on the current status of the project and outlined the future plans for India's first manned space mission.
Project's progress and future plans
Somanath revealed that significant components of the human space program have already arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The integration of the crew module is currently underway at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. "Today, we are working on the first mission of the Gaganyaan called G1. The first unmanned mission," he stated during his interaction with reporters.
Key components of the mission
The ISRO Chairman further elaborated on the key components of the Gaganyaan mission. "The status today is the rocket, the S200 stage, the L1, C32 stage are all at Satish Dhawan Space Centre," he said. He also confirmed that the Crew Escape hardware is ready and that full wiring and testing should be completed soon.
ISRO's timeline for Gaganyaan mission
Somanath provided a tentative timeline for the completion and launch of the Gaganyaan mission. "Our target is by November the whole system will reach here, possibly by December launch will happen," he said. This statement was made following the successful launch of the third and final developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) that placed an Earth Observation Satellite into orbit.
Collaboration with industries for SSLV missions
The successful SSLV mission opens up opportunities for industries to partner with ISRO for placing satellites into low Earth orbit. Somanath highlighted that a recent day-long meeting with the industry revealed significant interest in space. He emphasized that it's not just about transferring technology but also imparting knowledge on how things are done at ISRO, which will be a huge challenge for anyone learning rocketry from scratch.
Criteria for industry partnerships
Somanath also outlined the prerequisites for industries wishing to partner with ISRO. The company should possess manufacturing capabilities, and its facilities and financial strengths would be assessed. "We will add weightage and marks based on the performance of the company and based on that the companies will be shortlisted," he explained. A contract would then be awarded after payment of a technology transfer fee.
