The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) is well on its way to launch the Gaganyaan unmanned mission, part of the space agency’s ambitious project to send humans into space. The final call to launch, likely in December, will come after the mission is assessed once the lockdown is lifted in Bengaluru, sources told IndiaToday.in.
Proposed in 2018 the mission There were several delays due to the corona pandemic. The government of Karnataka imposed another lockdown earlier this year to contain the undiminished spread of the virus. The lock is expected to be lifted by June 15.
“It’s going well, the Covid-19 lockdown has had an impact, but there is currently no delay and once it is lifted the teams will meet and assess the situation before taking one final call,” the source said.
Designed in three phases, the first two launches will experience unmanned. (Photo: Isro)
The Gaganyaan mission is a three-stage project in which two unmanned modules will be launched before the astronauts, who are being trained in Russia, embark on the historic journey. While the first launch is scheduled for December this year, the second is unmanned launch is likely 2022-23, after which the crew start will take place in full.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her budget speech that the first unmanned launch is planned for December 2021.
The Covid-19 pandemic has done its part in delaying several other missions expected to launch in 2021, including the most important of them the Aditya L1, which includes a satellite to study the sun. Several other projects that are now being postponed include three Earth observation satellites and two Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV).
The mission has experienced several delays over the years. (Photo: Isro)
“There are a lot of people involved in the Gaganyaan Mission and we will need to assess all of the core sectors working on the mission if the lockdown is lifted,” the source added. The lockdown resulted in only a small percentage of the work being done due to remote operations.
In addition to the unmanned module launch, Isro is also planning launch a data relay satellite this will help maintain contact with the Gagangyaan Mission. The 800 crore rupees have been approved and work is underway to launch the satellite that will help Isro Ground Control establish contact with Gaganyaan throughout the mission.
The Rs. 10,000 Gaganyaan mission was first announced in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is likely to put India in direct competition with the US and Russia, who have so far dominated manned space exploration.
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