Indian Human Spaceflight Programme: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:12, 9 June 2025

Revision as of 06:49, 25 June 2025

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[[File:ISRO-designed Astronaut Space Suit.jpg|thumb|Prototype flight suit for crewed mission]]

[[File:Rakesh Sharma Chest Patch.svg|thumb|left|Patch of Indian Cosmonaut mission 1 in 1984]]

On April 3,1984, [[Rakesh Sharma]] became the first, and so far the only Indian citizen to travel to space on board [[Soyuz T-11]] as part of the [[Interkosmos]] programme, which visited [[Salyut 7]].<ref name=hin>{{cite news|url=http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|title=The down to earth Rakesh Sharma|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 April 2010|access-date=5 April 2014|first=Pankaja|last=Srinivasan|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724161536/http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the mission was launched on board a Soviet rocket and was not part of an independent Indian programme.

On August 9, 2007, the then Chairman of the ISRO, [[G. Madhavan Nair]], indicated the agency was "seriously considering" the creation of a human spaceflight programme. He further indicated that within a year, ISRO would report on its development of new space capsule technologies.<ref name=":6">{{cite news | url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200708091621.htm | title=ISRO considering manned space mission: Nair |work=The Hindu |___location=Chennai, India | date=9 August 2007}}</ref> Development of a fully autonomous [[Spacecraft|orbital vehicle]] to carry a two-member crew into [[low Earth orbit]] (LEO) began a few months after that when the government allocated {{INRConvert|95|c|1}} for pre-project initiatives for 2007 through 2008. A crewed orbital spaceflight would require about {{INRConvert|12400|c|1}} and a period of seven years of development. The Planning Commission estimated that a budget of {{INRConvert|5000|c|1}} was required for initial work during 2007–2012 for the crewed spaceflight.<ref name=pl>{{cite web |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in:80/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp11/wg11_subspace.pdf |title=Eleventh Five year Plan (2007–12) proposals for Indian space programme|access-date=21 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512061627/http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp11/wg11_subspace.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=bs2>{{cite news | url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=336718&chkFlg= | title = ISRO plans manned mission to moon in 2014 | work=Business Standard}}</ref> In February 2009, the Government of India authorized the human space flight programme,<ref name="BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8483787.stm "India announces first manned space mission"]. BBC. 27 January 2010</ref> but fell short of fully funding it or creating the programme.

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Having shown success in all preliminary tests,<ref>{{cite press release |title=ISRO to send first Indian into Space by 2022 as announced by PM, says Dr Jitendra Singh |url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=183103 |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India |agency= Department of Space |date=28 August 2018}}</ref> the decisive push for the creation of the Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP) took place in 2017,<ref name="Kadursrinivas 2017">{{cite web |last1=Rao |first1=Mukund Kadursrinivas |last2=Murthi |first2=Sridhara, K. R. |last3=Prasad M. Y. S. |title=THE DECISION FOR INDIAN HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAMME - POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES, NATIONAL RELEVANCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES |url=http://eprints.nias.res.in/1359/1/2017-MK-Rao-IAC-17-B3-1-9-IndianHumanSpaceFlightFullPaper.pdf |publisher= International Astronautical Federation}}</ref> and it was accepted and formally announced by the Prime Minister on August 15, 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=Indian will take national flag to space on board Gaganyaan by 2022, says PM Narendra Modi in Independence Day speech |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-will-take-national-flag-to-space-on-board-gaganyaan-by-2022-says-pm-narendra-modi-in-independence-day-speech/story-ctNAmDef79gbpj7OHrU8dP.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=15 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The funding is approximately Rs 10,000 crore. The testing phase was expected to begin in December 2020, and the first crewed mission was to be undertaken in December 2021.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://thewire.in/space/cabinet-clears-rs-10000-crore-for-indian-spaceflight-programme-target-is-2022| title=Cabinet Okays ISRO's Human Spaceflight Programme for Rs 10,000 Crore| website=The Wire| access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> However, on June 11, 2020, it was announced that the overall schedule for the ''Gaganyaan'' launches had been postponed due to the impact of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India]], in turn revising the timetable for the HSP.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Kumar|first=Chethan|date=11 June 2020|title=Gaganyaan mission: No Gaganyaan unmanned flight this year |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-gaganyaan-unmanned-flight-this-year/articleshow/76315319.cms|access-date=2020-06-13|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> As of December 2022, the first uncrewed test flight is scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-2024,<ref name="toi-20210722" /> with the uncrewed second and crewed third flights to follow afterward.<ref name="tp-20221204" /> As per ISRO, the initial review process is complete for food, potable water, emergency first aid kits, and health monitoring systems for the ''Gaganyaan'' mission until March 16, 2021.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} ISRO and the [[CNES]] joint working group on the Human Spaceflight Programme are collaborating on [[space medicine]] for the ''Gaganyaan'' project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=20 March 2021|title=India, France Working On 3rd Joint Space Mission, Says ISRO Chairman|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-france-working-on-3rd-joint-space-mission-says-isro-chairman-k-sivan-2395047|access-date=2021-03-21|website=NDTV}}</ref>

On August 4, 2024, ISRO, NASA and [[SpaceX]] announced that an Indian astronaut, [[Shubhanshu Shukla]], would serve as a pilot on board [[Axiom Mission 4]], a private [[Crew Dragon]] mission, to the ISS to become the second ever Indian to travel to space with the express goal of gaining experience for future ISRO crewed missions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=Hungary and Poland to join India on Ax-4 |url=https://spacenews.com/hungary-and-poland-to-join-india-on-ax-4/ |website=[[SpaceNews]] |access-date=18 February 2025}}</ref> The mission launched on June 25, 2025.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/06/09/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-fourth-commercial-axiom-mission-to-the-space-station/|title=Live coverage: SpaceX to launch fourth commercial Axiom mission to the space station|date=June 25, 2025}}</ref>

== Spacecraft developments ==