Trial mission for India’s first spaceflight ‘Gaganyaan’, to take off in August

The test mission for India’s first manned space flight ‘Gaganyaan’ will take place at the end of August this year while the unmanned mission will be sent into orbit next year, informed S Somnath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman on June 22.

The first mission essential for Gaganyaan spaceflight is the abort mission, which is performed to test the systems that can help the crew escape from the spacecraft mid-flight in case of failure. 

According to Somnath, the first and foremost thing for Gaganyaan is to test the aborted mission to its conclusion. “Since humans will be part of the mission, crew safety becomes paramount,” added the ISRO chief, hence, it is scheduled to be conducted at the end of August this year. “ISRO has built a new rocket called the ‘Parikshan Vahan’ for this mission at Sriharikota and the assembly work of the crew module and crew escape system has begun,” he added.

Gaganyaan is the first manned mission by ISRO, said Somnath, in which three flights will be sent into orbit: two unmanned and one human spaceflight. The first mission will be unmanned, the second mission will have a robot, and the last mission will send three Indian astronauts into space, including a woman. 

The second mission will be launched in 2024 and if it succeeds, it will be historical. The mission was supposed to be completed by 2022 but got delayed due to the pandemic.