After more than 33 years of Rakesh Sharma being the only Indian citizen to travel to space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is ready with a plan to put a two-three member human crew into space soon.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully launched a 3,136-kg GSAT-19 communication satellite into space through a monster launch vehicle, GSLV Mk-III. Now, besides reducing India’s dependence on foreign launch vehicles to place its satellites in space, the GSLV Mk-III can help India realise its dreams of launching its own manned space mission.
“In principle, it will be the GSLV Mk-III or its variant that will be human rated in future,” ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar was quoted by PTI. The GSLV Mk-III, or the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III, can place up to eight tonnes in a low Earth orbit–this is enough to carry India’s crew module into space.
In October 2016, China sent two astronauts on longest-ever manned mission to space. It is also working towards establishing its permanent space station by 2022. According to some reports, the estimated cost of India’s manned space mission is pegged at Rs 12,400 crore. The project is already running late, and the ISRO is now looking at 2024 deadline to put Indians on space.
Currently, India uses the French Ariane-5 rocket launched from Kourou in South America to place its heavy four-tonne class of communication satellites. If the manned space mission takes off, India would join the United States, Russia and China to have a human spaceflight programme.
The GSLV Mk-III will help India save millions of dollars that it spends to use launch vehicles of other countries to put its heavier satellites into space. With the GSAT-19 launch, the ISRO has almost doubled its capacity to launch satellites from 2.3 tonnes to almost four tonnes.
“After a couple of developmental flights to establish, I am sure there will be opportunities for launching even foreign communication satellites,” former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan was quoted by PTI.
ISRO’s success with GSLV Mk-III will also open up new markets where other countries can use it as a launch vehicle to put their satellites in space.
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Author: Technology Vista
