Carrying instruments to the moon or Mars where they can be abandoned if required, is very different from carrying humans safely into space, and bringing them back

A space station by 2035, and a manned mission to the moon by 2040 are among the objectives listed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) test flight for a first manned mission. This would put India into a very exclusive club.

The Gaganyaan is due to start with the first of at least three un-crewed tests of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle, which will be launched on 21 October. This will involve carrying a crew of three persons out to an orbit of 400 km and bringing them back safely with the capsule splashing down in the sea near Sriharikota. At least 20 major tests of the various systems will be involved.

The ISRO will need to develop many technologies which it does not currently possess as well as train Ganganauts and backup technical teams. Obviously, failure is not an option which means safety standard must be pushed up by orders of magnitudes.

Carrying instruments to the moon or Mars where they can be abandoned if required, is very different from carrying humans safely into space, keeping them healthy with life-support systems that shield them from hard radiation, extreme heat and cold, and bringing them back.

Earlier ISRO had intended to tap into Roscosmos resources and Ganganauts were expected to undergo training in the Russian facilities (which are mostly in Kazakhstan). However, after the Ukraine War, and after the signing of the bilateral Artemis Accords with the US, ISRO will probably access NASA’s expertise in this regard while trying to develop its own in-house skills.

Let’s list some of the engineering and environmental challenges. Space habitats have variable gravity – this is extremely low at most times but very high during periods when rockets are accelerating or decelerating. Humans need protection from both and equipment must be designed to handle extreme shifts in gravity.

There is extreme heat from atmospheric friction when the vessel is re-entering the atmosphere. But space itself is extremely cold. Beyond the atmosphere, there is also nothing to block harmful solar radiation. Again temperature and radiation shielding must be designed. The habitat capsule has to float when it lands in the ocean and it has to be quickly picked up. Ideally, it should be reusable.

Solving all these challenges requires smart design, and a deep understanding of a variety of material sciences. Moreover, space habitats have to recycle carbon dioxide and body wastes. Such recycling systems have subsequently been used at municipal scales to improve urban sewage management and air-purification systems. Long-term stays in micro-gravity require the use of special exercise equipment to maintain muscle mass – again modern gyms use versions of such equipment. Telemedicine which enables doctors on the ground to monitor health was also originally developed for space.

ISRO must develop a grasp of these technologies and obviously, there could be enormous possibilities for spin offs into commercial off-the-shelf applications if it does tender out to the nascent Indian aerospace industry. NASA, for example, has lakhs of patents with commercial applications.

Quite apart from these, the tests and experiments manned missions can actually carry out far exceed those done by robotics. Eventually for example, the Artemis Accords considers the possibility of extra-terrestrial mining.

Moving into manned exploration is a logical step for the ISRO. Apart from the prestige of belonging to an exclusive club, it would leap-frog India’s aerospace industry into an entirely new orbit in terms of developing entirely new technological capacities.