Govt shares Gaganyaan Mission update: ’One Gaganyaatri from ISRO will undertake space travel to ISS’

Union minister Jitendra Singh shared an update on the much-awaited Gaganyaan mission in his reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The minister said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is pursuing an ISRO-NASA joint mission to International Space Station (ISS).

In the joint mission, "one Gaganyaatri from ISRO will undertake space travel to ISS", Singh said in the written reply. " This is a collaborative effort of ISRO, NASA, and NASA-identified private entity, i.e. Axiom Space. Recently, ISRO has signed a Space Flight Agreement with Axiom Space for this joint mission to ISS," he said.

The Lok Sabha question asked by MLA Saugata Roy was about the "Axiom-4 Mission". NASA says that the space agency and Axiom Space have signed an order for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, "targeted to launch no earlier than August 2024 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida".

Four astronauts from the group of test pilots from the Indian Air Force have been selected for the Gaganyaan mission. "Currently, astronauts are undergoing training at the ISRO's Astronauts Training Facility (ATF) in Bengaluru for the Gaganyaan Mission," Singh said.

All the four astronauts were earlier trained on spaceflight basic module at Russia. "Two out of three semesters of the [Gaganyatri] training programme were completed. Independent Training Simulator and Static Mockup Simulators realized," the minister said while sharing the update.

The Gaganyaan project is another major mission that envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian waters.

The mission is expected to be launched on 2025.

India's key priorities for future

In another Lok Sabha question asked by MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, minister Jitendra Singh said the key priorities for future space missions include:

1. Developing human spaceflight capabilities

2. Advanced missions to moon

3. Establishing our own space station

4. Interplanetary missions

5. Enhancing satellite technology for communication, navigation and earth observation.

He also informed that long-term goals focus on sustainable space infrastructure, space debris management, and fostering international collaborations.

Singh further emphasized on the challenges ahead of the furture space missions. "Challenges include ensuring cost-effective missions, protecting against space hazards, and developing cutting-edge technology," he said.

"Addressing these challenges requires investment in research, strengthening public-private partnerships, and international cooperation to share knowledge and resources for sustained growth and success in space exploration," he added.