Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
India

'Gaganyaan' To Take Indian Astronaut To Space By 2022, Rakesh Sharma Gives A Thumbs-Up

IANS, 15 Aug, 2018 12:14 PM
    Prior to the actual launch by 2022, the Indian Space Research Organisation will have two unmanned missions and spacecraft will be fired using Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III, Mr Sivan said.
     
     
    Technologies that will help in sending an Indian astronaut to space - like human crew module and environment control and life support system - have already been developed, ISRO chairman K Sivan said today.
     
     
    Prior to the actual launch by 2022, the Indian Space Research Organisation will have two unmanned missions and spacecraft will be fired using Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III, Mr Sivan said.
     
     
    "We have already developed the technology like human crew module, environment control and life support system. Before undertaking the launch, we will have two unmanned missions. We will use GLSV Mark-III for this project," Mr Sivan told.
     
     
    His remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his Independence Day address that India will attempt a manned mission into space by 2022 on board 'Gaganyaan'.
     
     
    If successful, India would be the fourth nation to achieve that feat.
     
     
    Rakesh Sharma, a former IAF pilot, was the first Indian to travel to space. Mr Sharma was a part of Soviet Union's Soyuz T-11 expedition, launched on April 2, 1984, as part of the Intercosmos programme.
     
     
    Indian-born Kalpana Chawla and Indian-origin Sunita Williams are among the known names to have gone to the space.
     
     
    Ms Chawla was one of the seven crew members who perished in the space shuttle Columbia's disaster during its re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.
     
     
    In December 2014, he announced India will launch SAARC satellite as a "gift" to its neighbours.
     
     
    The satellite, later rechristened South Asian satellite, was launched in May 2017.
     
     
    K Radhakrishnan, former ISRO chairman under whose leadership the Mangalyaan mission was launched in 2013, termed the announcement of Gaganyaan mission a "turning point" for ISRO.
     
     
    ISRO is known for its space programme, focus on projects that matter to the day-day lives of people.
     
     
    However of late, it has launched missions like Chandrayaan-1 (moon mission) and Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) that has aroused tremendous interest among people.
     
     
    It will launch Chandrayaan-2, which will land a rover on the moon, next year.
     
     
    The first Indian to venture into space, former Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma, today gave his thumbs up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to have a national space mission by 2022. Rakesh Sharma said the ambitious mission, which plans to send an Indian into space, is "a coming of age" and a "natural corollary" of every space programme.
     
     
    "If we wish to improve our existence on Earth, we need to ensure that future ventures in outer space, ought to work for the greater good of humankind back on Earth" he said, adding that future ventures into outer space are "not, solely, for the benefit of one or another nation."
     
     
    Astronaut Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma was a part of Russia's (formerly the USSR) Soyuz T-11 space mission. The expedition was launched on April 2, 1984.
     
     
    Coined 'Gaganyaan', the 2022 space mission, according to ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan, will cost around Rs. 9,000 crore and will run on a "very, very tight schedule".

    MORE India ARTICLES

    2 Indian Techies In US Create India’s First SmartGaon: PM Modi

    2 Indian Techies In US Create India’s First SmartGaon: PM Modi
    In his Mann Ki Baat radio address, Modi made a reference to Yogesh Sahu and Rajnish Bajpai, the developers of SmartGaon, which also serves as a one-stop information centre and a marketplace for farmers.

    2 Indian Techies In US Create India’s First SmartGaon: PM Modi

    65-Yr-Old Delhi Man Held For Theft, Says Did It To Please 5 Girlfriends

    65-Yr-Old Delhi Man Held For Theft, Says Did It To Please 5 Girlfriends
    At the ripe age of 65, he was caught stealing. But this Delhi man was doing it all to keep his five girlfriends happy, and to buy them expensive gifts.

    65-Yr-Old Delhi Man Held For Theft, Says Did It To Please 5 Girlfriends

    Gurdaspur Court Acquits Former SAD Minister Sucha Singh Langah In Rape Case

    Gurdaspur Court Acquits Former SAD Minister Sucha Singh Langah In Rape Case
    Former SAD minister and SGPC member Sucha Singh Langah was acquitted by a local court here on Monday in a rape case filed against him by a Punjab Police employee.

    Gurdaspur Court Acquits Former SAD Minister Sucha Singh Langah In Rape Case

    Kejriwal Slams Bains Brothers For ‘Insulting' Dalit MLA Harpal Singh Cheema

    Kejriwal Slams Bains Brothers For ‘Insulting' Dalit MLA Harpal Singh Cheema
    The rift between the AAP and its ally in Punjab the Bains brothers-led Lok Insaaf Party, widened further after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the latter of insulting his party's Dalit MLA Harpal Singh Cheema.

    Kejriwal Slams Bains Brothers For ‘Insulting' Dalit MLA Harpal Singh Cheema

    PM Modi Dials Imran Khan, Congratulates Him On Election Victory

    PM Modi Dials Imran Khan, Congratulates Him On Election Victory
    "Prime Minister expressed hope that democracy will take deeper roots in Pakistan," the statement said, adding Modi "also reiterated his vision of peace and development in the entire neighbourhood".

    PM Modi Dials Imran Khan, Congratulates Him On Election Victory

    WATCH: Wrestler Pawan Kumar's Dance For Wife Geeta Phogat Melts Hearts

    WATCH: Wrestler Pawan Kumar's Dance For Wife Geeta Phogat Melts Hearts
    Commonwealth Games bronze medallist wrestler Pawan Kumar, husband of Geeta Phogat, may have a mean streak inside the ring but he is melting hearts on social media for a dance performance for his wife.

    WATCH: Wrestler Pawan Kumar's Dance For Wife Geeta Phogat Melts Hearts