Space Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha that an Indian astronaut, referred to as a “Gaganyaatri,” will soon embark on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This landmark journey will mark India’s first human mission to the ISS, as part of a collaborative effort between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NASA, and Axiom Space, a NASA-identified private entity.
In response to a query from Trinamool Congress MLA Saugata Roy regarding the “Axiom-4 Mission,” Singh revealed that ISRO has signed an agreement with Axiom Space for the joint mission. The mission, involving the fourth private astronaut group to the ISS, is expected to launch no earlier than August 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The chosen Gaganyaatri will be one of four Indian Air Force pilots who have been undergoing intensive training for India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission.
The Astronaut Selection Board, established by ISRO, selected these four astronauts from a pool of IAF test pilots. Their training began with a basic spaceflight module in Russia during the pandemic and has since continued at ISRO’s Astronauts Training Facility in Bengaluru. The training is part of a comprehensive program, two out of three semesters of which have already been completed, with independent and static mockup simulators being realized.
Singh also provided an update on the progress of the Gaganyaan mission’s launch vehicle. The solid and liquid propulsion stages of the human-rated launch vehicle are ready for flight integration, with the C32 cryogenic stage nearing completion. The structures of the crew and service modules have been realized, and flight integration activities are well underway.
The Gaganyaan project, one of ISRO’s most ambitious missions, aims to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capability. The mission will involve launching a crew of three astronauts into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, culminating in a safe return to Earth, with the crew landing in Indian waters. The Gaganyaan mission is currently slated for launch in 2025.