Bengaluru, April 8 – Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan said on Wednesday that three unmanned missions are scheduled before the Gaganyaan mission, India's first human space venture.
Speaking to reporters after the inaugural session of the International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations, Narayanan said: "Based on the guidelines, direction, and the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are working on the Gaganyaan programme."
"Before embarking on the crewed mission, we are targeting three unmanned missions. So, right now, we are working on the first unmanned mission. All activities are progressing well," he added.
The space agency chief further said that the timeline and other details about the missions will be announced at an appropriate time.
Highlighting the importance of Spacecraft Mission Operations, Narayanan said, "Mission operation is an important activity in any space mission. The launch vehicle has to function for hardly 20-25 minutes. This mission operation activity has to continue for a long time. When we talk about a communication satellite with a 15-year operational life, continuously, this operation has to be carried out."
He also cited the example of the Mars Orbiter mission. "For example, our Mars Orbiter mission, which lasted almost 300 days, this operation had to be carried out to make the mission successful," he said.
Narayanan emphasized that in human spaceflight missions, too, mission operations are very critical, like any other important mission.
Elaborating on the challenges, he said: "Challenges mean that you are accomplishing this mission for the first time. We have to conduct the human rating of the launch vehicle. Then, a lot of new developments, including the crew escape system, environmental control safety system, interfacing the human with the machine and software, have to be implemented."
Regarding the event, the ISRO chief said: "Here, the entire discussion will be on mission operations, including all the new technologies. Around 400 papers will be presented and discussed. It will be highly useful for students, start-up companies, and also the engineers working in this area."