ISRO focus is on Gaganyaan mission, send Indian to space, says S Somanath

ISRO Chairman S Somanath has emphasised Gaganyaan mission as a priority amid multiple targets. Plans include a space station by 2035 and lunar missions.

ISRO Chairman, S Somanath, emphasises Gaganyaan as the immediate priority amid multiple targets including a space station. (@Gaganyaan_Isro)

On Wednesday, S Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), emphasised that while the organisation is actively pursuing various targets, the immediate and primary focus remains on Gaganyaan mission- the nation's inaugural human space flight program. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 Global Energy Parliament in Kolkata, Somanath stated, "There are many [targets]. It is not one target. But our primary target is Gaganyaan now. Send an Indian to space and bring them back safely. This is our immediate big-ticket target."

The Gaganyaan mission is ambitiously set to launch humans into space, positioning them in a low earth orbit at an altitude of 400 kilometres for a three-day mission scheduled for 2025.

ISRO's Vision

Somanath disclosed that the agency envisions establishing the first module of India's space station by 2028, with the aim of completing the entire station by 2035.

NASA to Assist in Indian Astronaut Training

In a significant development in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed ISRO to aim for a manned mission to the moon by 2040 and to establish an Indian space station by 2035.

Highlighting international collaboration, Somanath shared that Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, announced on Tuesday that the US space agency will assist in training an Indian astronaut by the end of 2024.

Updating on another ongoing mission, Somanath reported that Aditya-L1 mission, India's first space-based mission to study the sun, is progressing as planned. "Our expectation is that it will enter Lagrange point 1 (L1) by January 7. We had to do some manoeuvres," he explained. The spacecraft is set to be positioned around L1, approximately 1.5 million km from Earth, granting it the advantage of continuously observing the sun without any eclipses.

Reflecting on past achievements, Somanath highlighted the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission, India's third lunar exploration mission. "Chandrayaan–3 has created inspiration for everybody. We are the fourth nation to land any craft on the moon and the first to land on the southern part. All this shows that India's scientific and engineering skills are very high. We did not depend on anybody to build the craft and the mission planning. We consulted many people. The whole creation is our own," he proudly stated.