PTI ,2 July :
ISRO Chairman S. Somnath has suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could participate in India’s first human space mission when it becomes operational. In an interview with NDTV, when asked about the possibility of sending the Prime Minister to space in an Indian spacecraft launched from Indian soil, the ISRO Chairman expressed, “We would all be immensely proud if we could confidently send the head of state to space.”
He further explained, “While PM Modi has numerous critical responsibilities, developing a human spaceflight program is a capability we aspire to achieve. This mission is intended to support the Gaganyaan space program, especially the astronaut training program for the International Space Station (ISS). The experience gained will be crucial in building our capacity in this domain.”
The inaugural Gaganyaan crewed flight is expected to last one day in space, with the astronaut completing 16 orbits of Earth. Dr. Somnath mentioned that this mission would effectively test the environmental life support and control systems.
Discussing the launch timeline for India’s first human space mission, Dr. Somnath said, “We are at a critical stage with Gaganyaan this year. We have three significant missions planned. The first is an unmanned mission to orbit, stay in orbit, and return; the second is a test of equipment and algorithms; the third is a launch pad scenario test.”
He added that the first test flight of the Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for the end of next year, but emphasized that “everything depends on the progress we make.”
Earlier this year, four astronaut designates, described as “adventurers and valiant men preparing to go into space,” were introduced. These officers, selected from the Indian Air Force, included Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
