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Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday shared an update on the much-awaited Gaganyaan mission in his reply in the Lok Sabha. The minister said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on an ISRO-NASA joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
In the joint mission, “a Gaganyaantri from ISRO will undertake a space journey to the ISS”, Singh said in a written reply. “This is a joint effort of ISRO, NASA and a private entity identified by NASA i.e. Axiom Space. Recently, ISRO has signed a space flight agreement with Axiom Space for this joint mission to the ISS,” he said.
The question asked in the Lok Sabha by MLA Saugata Roy was about the “Axiom-4 mission”. NASA says the space agency and Axiom Space have signed an order for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, “aimed at launching no earlier than August 2024 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida”.
Four astronauts have been selected for the Gaganyaan mission from the Indian Air Force’s group of test pilots. “Currently, the astronauts are undergoing training at ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility (ATF) in Bengaluru for the Gaganyaan mission,” Singh said.
All four astronauts were previously trained on the basic module of space flight in Russia. [Gaganyatri] The training programme has been completed. Independent training simulator and static mockup simulator are being built,” the minister said while sharing the update.
Gaganyaan project is another major mission which envisages demonstrating human spaceflight capability by launching a three-member crew into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and returning them safely to Earth after landing in Indian waters.
This mission is expected to be launched in 2025.
India’s key priorities for the future
In another Lok Sabha question asked by MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, minister Jitendra Singh said the key priorities for future space missions include:
1. Development of human spaceflight capabilities
2. Advanced Mission to the Moon
3. Establishing your own space station
4. Interplanetary missions
5. Enhancing satellite technology for communications, navigation and earth observation.
He also pointed out that long-term goals focus on sustainable space infrastructure, space debris management and promoting international cooperation.
Singh emphasised the challenges faced by future space missions. “The challenges include ensuring cost-effective missions, defending against space threats 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 sustainable development and success in space exploration,” he said.
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Published: July 24, 2024, 10:57 PM IST
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