India to Send Gaganyaan Astronaut to ISS in Joint Mission with NASA

New Delhi: India is set to make history as it prepares to send its first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a collaborative mission with NASA. The announcement was made by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a space flight agreement with Axiom Space, a private entity identified by NASA, for this joint mission. The decision comes after a commitment made by US President Joe Biden during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last year.

India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, aiming for a crewed orbital flight in 2024, has selected four astronauts from the Indian Air Force. These astronauts have undergone rigorous training, including a basic spaceflight module in Russia and ongoing sessions at ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.

While the Gaganyaan mission is progressing steadily with the completion of two out of three training semesters and the development of essential simulators, the focus is also on the technological aspects. Ground testing of propulsion systems and the successful completion of the first Test Vehicle mission are significant milestones.

The design and development of the crew module and service module, along with critical ground facilities like the Orbital Module Preparation Facility and Astronaut Training Facility, are nearing completion. With the solid and liquid propulsion stages of the human-rated launch vehicle ready for integration, India is inching closer to its space exploration goals.