ISRO Ganganyaan Astronauts To Start Training Soon, Identity Will Not Be Revealed: Government

ISRO Ganganyaan mission, which is expected to take place in December this year, seems to be progressing as planned. The training for the space astronauts selected to conduct the mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation will begin this month, and as soon as the third week of January, according to a PIB release.

Dr K Sivan, Chairman ISRO, had revealed earlier this month through a press conference that the preparations for thef irst human space flight mission Gaganyaan was progressing well. “We’ve made good progress in the mission. The process of Astronaut selection for the mission is completed,” said Dr Sivan. He further added that four astronauts had been selected, who would undergo extensive training.

The same development was confimed by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space. He said that the training of the astronauts for India's first human space mission will take place in Russia.

The four astronauts will receive training for 11 months and all the four astronauts selected for the mission are men; however, their identity will not be revealed, said the minister. After returning from Russia, the astronauts will receive module specific training in India.

The astronauts will be trained in crew and service module designed by ISRO, learn to operate it, work around it and do simulations. India's heaviest launch vehicle “Bahubali” GSLV Mark III will the carry astronauts to space, said the PIB release quoting ISRO sources.

The design of the crew module has been completed as of May 2019. The space capsule will reportedly have life support and environmental control systems and also will be equipped with emergency mission abort and emergency escape that can be done at the first stage or second stage of the rocket burn.

Rs.10,000 crores has already been sanctioned by the Union Cabinet  for  the Gaganyaan project, and ISRO has signed MoUs with DRDO labs, Indian Air Force and Russian space agency to receive help in areas where it lacks experience such as human centric systems, crew training, crew recovery, and so on.