The Indian Space Research Organisation has identified 48 backup points across the world where the Gaganyaan crew could splash down to ensure a safe recovery and rescue of the astronauts during the return mission, senior officials said.
ISRO Has Pinpointed 48 Locations For Gaganyaan Astronauts
The Indian Space Research Organisation has identified 48 backup points across the world where the Gaganyaan crew could splash down to ensure a safe recovery and rescue of the astronauts during the return mission, senior officials said. In an ideal situation, the Gaganyaan module is marked to land in Arabian Sea where Indian agencies will be station to rescue the crew and the module, the officials said. However, in case of a deviation in the main plan, the space agency has identified 48 back up sites in international waters, they said.
“In any mission, there is an ideal scenario and there are back-up plans in case that is not achieved. For Gaganyaan mission, if everything goes by the book, we will be able to land the module in the Indian waters,” a senior ISRO official associated with the mission said. The Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human spaceflight project, aims to demonstrate ISRO’s human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely.
The official also said that the space agency had initially finalised two landing spots in Indian waters, one in the Arabian sea and the other in the Bay of Bengal. However, considering the rough waters and the unpredictability of the Bay of Bengal, the landing site in the Arabian Sea was finalised. Out of the four astronaut designates, three will be selected to fly in the final mission, which is expected to take flight by 2025.
“For the Gaganyaan mission ISRO has modified its medium-lift, three-stage rocket, previously known as GSLV MK-III, to comply with the standards required for human spaceflight. This upgraded version has been renamed ‘Human-Rated LVM-3’, or HLVM-3.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the names of the four astronauts who will be part of India’s first human space flight program, Gaganyaan, slated to be launched in 2024-25.
