Isro.Us | Space Exploration

Indian Human Spaceflight Program A manned space flight is proposed before 2015, at a budget of Rs 12.4 billion ($242 million), using a fully autonomous Orbital Vehicle carrying two or three crew members to 400km (250 miles) low Earth orbit for up to 7 days and back.

The planning commission has already approved the mission and the Indian government has already sanctioned Rs 95 crore to study all aspects of the manned space mission.

A 100 acre astronaut training is planned to be completed on the outskirts of Bangalore by 2012 by ISRO in collaboration with IAM Bangalore at a cost of Rs 10 billion.

Crew Vehicle

The modified Soyuz will be carried atop a GSLV II / GSLV III launcher that will lift off from a new (third) launch pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. ISRO's concept is to accommodate two, with an option for a third traveler, in a three ton capsule. The spacecraft is being designed for a seven day mission on completion of which it will splash down either in the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal.

Human Rated Launcher

To begin with, ISRO will use a GSLV II, capable of placing 8 tons in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), to launch the manned spacecraft into a 275 km to 400 km orbit. The GLSV II will essentially be a human flight rated GSLV launcher with a crew escape system (CES) fitted on top. When the GSLV III, capable of placing 10 tons in LEO, becomes operational in 2010/11, ISRO will have the option to put a third astronaut in the spacecraft.

The CES will allow the capsule to detach from the launcher during any phase of the launch and descend safely using parachutes. The CES will have the ability to sense the mishap a few seconds in advance and get the crew out fast.

Mission Control Center

A critical requirement will be the building of a Mission Control Centre (MCC) to monitor the mission during its ascent, orbital and descent phase. The facilities at the spaceport at Sriharikota and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Centre (ISTRAC), Bangalore, are being upgraded to serve as the Mission Control Centers.

Technological Challenges

ISRO has already validated some of the technologies required to ensure safe recovery of a manned spacecraft, through the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1). SRE-1, a 1,212-pound (550-kg) space capsule, was successfully launched on January 10, 2007 on board PSLV C7 and recovered on January 22, demonstrating ISRO capability to recover satellite from orbit at a predetermined location.

The mission validated technology for a manned spacecraft's controlled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and tested heat-resistant materials developed to ensure a safe ride home for the crew. A followup mission, SRE 2, is planned in the 2010-11 time frame.

International Space Station Partnership

ISRO will start talks in 2010 seeking partnership in the International Space Station (ISS) program. India announced its desire to join the program at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, South Korea on October 12. India plans to contribute towards the maintenance of the ISS with its manned spacecraft.

ISS partners are currently committed to maintaining the space station in orbit till 2015. The original plan was to de-orbit the station in 2016. However, there is a proposal to extend the program to 2020 and beyond. The US will decide on the proposal in 2010 which is why India must wait till then to start partnership negotiations.

UPDATE

An ergonomic model of the crew module, that will take two Indian astronauts into space in 2015, arrived in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, from Bangalore, where it was fabricated, at the end of April 2009.