The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is setting its sights on sending Indian astronauts to the Moon by 2040, following the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. ISRO Chairman S Somanath shared this exciting news in an article for the Manorama Yearbook 2024.
Somanath explained that the next big step for ISRO is the Gaganyaan program, which involves launching a crew of 2 to 3 Indian astronauts into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for up to three days. After their mission, they will be safely returned to a predefined site in Indian waters.
To make this dream a reality, four test pilots from the Indian Air Force have been selected as "Astronaut-Designates" for the Gaganyaan mission. They are currently undergoing mission-specific training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
The first Gaganyaan mission will test various critical technologies, including the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle, an Orbital Module (consisting of a Crew Module and Service Module), and numerous life support systems. Before the actual crewed mission, two identical uncrewed missions will take place, along with tests such as Air Drop Test, Pad Abort Test, and Test Vehicle flights.
ISRO has already achieved a significant milestone with the TV-D1 mission on October 21, 2023, testing the Crew Escape System's in-flight abort capabilities. The early version of the Crew Module successfully separated from the launch vehicle and was safely recovered from the Bay of Bengal by the Indian Navy. Somanath highlighted the importance of this test flight for paving the way for future missions, mentioning that the crewed Gaganyaan mission could potentially launch in 2025.
Somanath also emphasized another crucial project for ISRO—the Aditya L1 solar exploratory mission. This mission aims to study the Sun from Lagrange Point 1 using seven scientific instruments developed indigenously. Launched on September 2, 2023, the five-year-long mission will be inserted into a halo orbit around L1 in 2024.
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