By R Anil Kumar
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ISRO Targets First Gaganyaan Mission Launch by December- ISRO Chairman
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Some of the rocket hardware for the human space programme has reached the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and the integration of the crew module is going on at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre: S Somanath
Bengaluru. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is aiming to launch the first test flight of the Gaganyaan mission by December of this year, said ISRO chairman S Somanath in Sriharikota. The official announcement came after the successful launch of the third and final developmental flight of the SSLV, placing the Earth Observation Satellite into orbit on August 16.
“Today, we are working on the first mission of the Gaganyaan called G1. The first unmanned mission. The status today is the rocket, the S200 stage, the L1, C32 stage are all at Satish Dhawan Space Centre,” Somanath said
Currently, some of the rocket hardware for the human space programme has reached the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here and the integration of the crew module is going on at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said.
He said the Crew Module integration was going on at VSSC Trivandrum while Crew Escape hardware was also ready.
“So, we have to complete with full wiring and testing should be done. Our target is by November the whole system will reach here, possibly by December launch will happen,” he said, responding to a query.
Gaganyaan is ISRO’s orbital spacecraft, and the mission is the next step towards the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is designed to carry three people, while the upgraded version of the same is expected to have docking capabilities.
This will be ISRO’s first crewed mission, in which the Gaganyaan spacecraft will orbit the Earth at 400 km altitude for up to seven days, with a crew of two or three astronauts on board.
Somanath was talking to reporters after successfully launching the third and final developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle that placed the Earth Observation Satellite into orbit earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was launched on Friday, August 16, placing the EOS in orbit and achieving a major feat for India’s space programme. The success of the third and final developmental flight of the SSLV paves the way for the launch of commercial missions using the smallest vehicle by ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
Some of the unique features of SSLVs are — they provide low-cost access to Space, offer low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, ‘launch on demand’ feasibility and SSLV missions demand minimal launch infrastructure.
Today’s successful mission of SSLV allows industry to forge a partnership with ISRO for placing satellites into Low Earth Orbit. Besides, it would also allow a company to gain knowledge on rockets, launch vehicles, and satellites in the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle missions.
To a query about the requirement for industries to partner with the ISRO for taking up commercial launch of SSLV missions, Somanath said a day-long meeting was recently held with the industry.
“I am hoping that the first technology transfer will happen in India between ISRO and industry. The Request for Interest (RFI) was released and as a single (entity) or as consortia, a company can show interest on the technology transfer (from ISRO) and what were the expectations from ISRO and how to qualify for such missions,” he said.
From the interactions held with the industry it emerged there was a huge amount of interest for them to learn about space, he added.
“We told them it will be a huge challenge for anyone to learn rocketry from scratch. It is not just transferring technology, we are transferring the knowledge on how things are done (at ISRO). It is not the drawings alone, it is the knowledge behind those drawings we transfer to industry,” according to Somanath, also the Secretary, Department of Space.
Through the industry partnerships, ISRO would teach them on how to build a rocket, he said and added that the industry should qualify as per the criteria put forth by ISRO.
The company should possess manufacturing capabilities, manufacturing facilities and financial strengths of a company would be assessed, he said.
“We will add weightage and marks based on the performance of the company and based on that the companies will be shortlisted and a contract would be given to them after the companies which have to pay a technology transfer fee,” he said.
Some of the unique features of SSLVs are — it provides low-cost access to Space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, ’launch on demand’ feasibility and SSLV missions demand minimal launch infrastructure.
