ISRO is cautiously progressing with its ambitious Gaganyaan project, which aims to send India's first astronauts to space.
The chairman of ISRO, S. Somanath, has highlighted the mission's main goal of ensuring a safe and successful journey for the astronauts.
To achieve this, ISRO has redefined the mission and improved its testing and demonstration processes.
Prioritising Safety
The COVID-19 pandemic presented unforeseen obstacles, causing substantial delays in the launch of Gaganyaan, which was initially scheduled for 2022.
"Our perspective has changed. We no longer wish to hurry. This is the decision we have made. The foremost goal of the human space flight is to ensure a completely safe mission," stated the head of ISRO.
Nevertheless, Somanath emphasised that ISRO now prioritises safety over speed.
The space agency is committed to avoiding any haste and is focused on ensuring a completely safe mission for India's inaugural human space flight.
Understanding the significance of meticulous planning, ISRO has conducted extensive testing and demonstration missions to enhance crew safety measures.
Testing and Demonstration
In order to increase the chances of a successful mission right from the start, ISRO has considerably expanded its testing and demonstration procedures.
Somanath revealed that the initial exercise, initially planned for July, has been rescheduled for August.
Following this, two abort missions will take place within the same year, leading up to an unmanned mission anticipated to begin in early 2024.
The inclusion of these additional abort missions allows ISRO to validate and enhance the safety of the crew during crucial phases of the mission.
Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1
ISRO has multiple ambitious missions in progress alongside Gaganyaan.
As per the claim, Chandrayaan-3, India's third moon mission, is set for a mid-July launch.
Building on past experiences, ISRO aims to maintain successful practices during the landing phase.
As reported, another mission, Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, is scheduled for a launch window from August to January.