For Gaganyaan Mission's space medicine training, two flight surgeons to leave for Russia

An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official said on Sunday that two flight surgeons will soon fly to Russia where they will get hands-on experience in space medicine from their Russian counterparts for the Gaganyaan mission. The flight surgeons are doctors from the Indian Air Force (IAF) who have specialised in aerospace medicine.

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“The flight surgeons will leave soon and will get hands-on training with flight surgeons in Russia,training of astronauts is a critical aspect of the human space mission project. Fight surgeons are responsible for astronauts' health before, during and after a flight. The flight surgeons will also get to train with the prospective astronauts," the official said.

The flight surgeons will also travel to France for training. “The French module of space surgeons training will be more theoretical in nature,” the official added.

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Training of Indian astronauts has been affected due to the coronavirus

The four test pilots of the Indian Air Force have been chosen for India's first manned mission to space and are currently undergoing training at the Yu.A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow since February last year. The Centre was built to support manned space programmes, space exploration activities, space engineering, cosmonauts' training, as well as ensuring their safety in space and providing post-flight rehabilitation programmes for cosmonauts.

The training of Indian astronauts has been affected due to the coronavirus and lockdown in Russia, and they are expected to be back in India by March.

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On December 26, 2020,Chairman of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had said that the space agency was developing ‘green propulsion’ for its ambitious human space flight mission ‘Gaganyaan’. Speaking at the 16th convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, K Sivan asserted that the less toxic and high-performance technology would be used in the 2021 mission that marks India’s first attempt at sending a human being to space. ISRO had previously made space-grade lithium-ion batteries to promote green energy.

ISRO on December 17 successfully launched the communication satellite CMS-01 onboard the PSLV-C50. The new CMS-01 satellite, which was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota, will replace the current GSAT-12 in orbit, which was launched in 2011. Marking ISRO's second launch this year, the PSLV will put in orbit India's 42nd communications satellite, which is expected to provide coverage over the entire country for disaster management and satellite internet connection.

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(With PTI Inputs)