Gaganyaan mission: Astronauts’ Names & Current Status

Source-This post on Gaganyaan mission: Astronauts’ Names & Current Status is based on the article “PM Modi announces 4 astronauts for Gaganyaan: Current status of the mission” published in “The Indian Express” on 27th February 2024.

Why in the News?

The PM recently unveiled the names of the four astronauts who will fly to low-Earth orbit as part of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan Mission.

What are the names of four astronauts who are part of Gaganyaan Mission?

1. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair
2. Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
3. Group Captain Angad Pratap
4. Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla

Training of the astronauts

1. In June 2019, ISRO and Glavkosmos (a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos) entered into a memorandum of understanding for the training of four astronauts.

2. The four astronauts underwent training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre from February 2020 to March 2021.

What is Gaganyaan Mission?

1. About– It is India’s first human spaceflight program, aiming to send a crew of three humans into a 400 km orbit around Earth for a three-day mission and safely return them to Earth.

2. Launch– It is aimed for launch in 2024-2025.

3. Launch vehicle: The GSLV Mk III, also referred to as LVM-3, will serve as the launch vehicle for the Gaganyaan mission.

What is the current status of the mission?

1. C20 Human rating completed– Recently, final tests were conducted on the cryogenic engine, named CE20 of the GSLV Mk III rocket. The engine passed the test and was approved for missions carrying humans into space.

2. The special flight engine which ignites during rocket liftoff, has passed acceptance tests. These tests ensure that the hardware performs as needed for the mission. Once certified, the technology is used in the final mission.

3. The Vikas engine intended for the liquid stage have already been certified for the missions.

Note- The crew module for the Gaganyaan-1 mission won’t include the Environment Control and Life Support System, responsible for maintaining an Earth-like environment inside. ISRO is currently working on testing and developing the system’s different parts in its labs.

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