ISRO Chairman Dr. V Narayanan expressed strong confidence in the success of India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, reiterating the organisation’s growing pride and nationalism as it works collectively to advance the nation’s space capabilities.

Speaking at IIT-Madras after inaugurating a Research Centre on space-related applications, Dr. Narayanan highlighted ISRO’s meticulous approach to learning from the challenges faced by global agencies like NASA, integrating those lessons into its plans for Gaganyaan mission.

The ambitious Gaganyaan mission aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of three astronauts into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and safely returning them to Earth, landing in Indian waters. The project leverages ISRO's in-house expertise, Indian industry partnerships, intellectual contributions from academia and research institutions, and cutting-edge international technologies.

Critical technologies being developed include a human-rated launch vehicle, life support systems for creating an Earth-like environment in space, crew emergency escape provisions, and comprehensive crew management systems covering training, recovery, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Narayanan detailed several precursor missions planned to ensure technology readiness before the actual manned flight. These include Integrated Air Drop Tests (IADT), Pad Abort Tests (PAT), and Test Vehicle flights to validate safety and reliability.

The Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM-3) rocket has been selected as the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan. This heavy-lift launcher features solid, liquid, and cryogenic stages reconfigured to meet human rating requirements. It includes a Crew Escape System (CES) powered by quick-acting solid motors to ensure crew safety during emergencies at the launch pad or during ascent.

The astronaut training program is set to begin later this year, with Vyommitra—a robot—playing a key role in the mission's development milestones. Dr. Narayanan also reaffirmed India’s vision for space exploration, quoting Prime Minister Modi’s goal of sending astronauts to the moon using an indigenous rocket by 2040.

Furthermore, Dr. Narayanan confirmed that the Indo-US joint NISAR mission would be launched soon, further strengthening bilateral space cooperation.

Reflecting on India’s remarkable journey in space exploration—from transporting rockets on bicycles to becoming a global leader—he praised ISRO’s scientists and engineers for their dedication and ingenuity that have positioned India at the forefront of the global space industry.

UNI Report