ISRO racing against time to launch 1st uncrewed mission Gaganyaan in December amid COVID

In order to launch the first uncrewed mission in December, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is racing against time, as a part of the human spaceflight programme ''Gaganyaan''. This comes after the adverse impact of the COVID-19-induced lockdowns that have disrupted hardware delivery schedules. Two uncrewed flights are planned to test the end-to-end capacity for the manned mission, as part of the mandate of Gaganyaan.

Mission "severely affected" due to COVID-19

ISRO Officials said that the first and second waves of the pandemic have "severely affected" the Gaganyaan programme. The hardware elements for the mission are fabricated by the industry, and lockdowns in different parts of the country at different period have adversely impacted delivery schedules. The objective of the Gaganyaan programme is to demonstrate the capability to send humans to low earth orbit onboard an Indian launch vehicle and bring them back to Earth safely.

"Design, analysis, and documentation are done by ISRO while hardware for Gaganyaan is fabricated and supplied by hundreds of industries across the country. Most of our industry (that supplied hardware for the programme) were closed (due to COVID-induced lockdowns). There was an impact on realisation of hardware systems. We expect some delay", an ISRO official told PTI.

Another official of the space agency said ISRO is trying to meet the target by putting in "extra hours, extra work."

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Space said in February this year that the first unmanned mission is planned in December 2021 and the second unmanned one in 2022-23, followed by the human spaceflight demonstration.

As per ISRO sources, most of the activities relating to the Gaganyaan programme are over, noting that the space agency has been working on the project even a decade before the formal announcement was made nearly three years ago. ISRO is also taking the help of French, Russian and US space agencies in "some of the crucial activities and supply of components", it added.

'Too early to commit': ISRO chairman on achieving target of Gaganyaan programme

ISRO chairman K Sivan, earlier this month said the agency is trying to achieve the target of the mission that has been set by the Government of India, however, he is not sure whether ISRO would be able to meet the target for the mission by August next year.

"We are not going to lose much time. But mainly because of closure industries in India, it's having an impact on the realisation of hardware. But still, we are trying to achieve the target for the mission set by the Government of India. It may be too early for me to commit. But we are trying to target the mission by that time," Sivan, also Secretary in the Department of Space said earlier this month.

Indian Astronauts Completes 1-year Training For Gaganyaan Mission In Russia

In the month of March, four Indian astronaut candidates already underwent one-year generic space flight training in Russia's Zvyozdny Gorodok city near Moscow as part of the Gaganyaan Programme. ISRO's heavy-lift launcher GSLV Mk III was identified for the mission.

The formal announcement of the Gaganyaan programme was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address on August 15, 2018, and  Rs 10,000 crores has been sanctioned for this project by the Central government. The initial target is to launch human spaceflight before the 75th anniversary of India's independence on August 15, 2022.

(With PTI Inputs)

(Image Credits: PTI)