The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will conduct the first demonstration test to abort an ambitious astronaut mission in India later this year. The test will be conducted on a crew module designed and developed by Isro to test the emergency abort safety feature. While experts expect the unmanned maiden mission to be launched by the end of 2024, the centre is yet to say anything about the case related to the Rs 9,023 crore project.
The details of the first milestone mission were revealed by Parliament in the space department in a question raised by a TN Congress MP, Prathapan. The Gaganyaan mission is one of the most challenging tasks of Isro, which is known for its difficult missions. The Indian space agency is leaving no stone unturned in this mission, which will include three Indian astronauts.
Four Indian Air Force officers, whose names remain confidential, are training for the mission and collaborating on the mission with Russia’s Roscosmos. While the abort test for Gaganyaan will take place later this year, the Center has announced plans to launch the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 mission and the Aditya L-1 mission in 2024. While Chandrayaan-3 is heading towards the Moon, Aditya L-1 is India’s first mission to target the Sun. In its reply, the space department said that the Chandrayaan 3 and
Aditya L-1 missions will be launched in the first quarter of 2024. Chandrayaan-3 is the successor to the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which landed on the moon in one of the biggest losses for the Indian space agency. Meanwhile, the placement of the Aditya L1 mission at the first Lagrange point in the Earth-Sun system will study many properties of the Sun, such as the dynamics and origin of coronal mass emission.
Isro had earlier said it would try to launch a lunar mission in late 2024, but the new information lifted the air around the mission, which was further delayed until next year. Apart from these two major mapping missions, Isro will also launch a space docking experiment that will involve launching two PSLV satellites and anchoring them to each other for vacuuming in space. The project could pave the way for an upcoming space station from India. The mission, which has been delayed and is estimated to cost India Rs 124.47 crore, will be launched in the third quarter of 2024.
