Only three countries have launched human beings to space. A room is about to join the club: India

The last great spatial power is preparing to register its name in one of the most exclusive clubs of humanity: that of nations capable of sending astronauts to space by their own means. Until now, only the United States, Russia (heiress of the Soviet Union) and China hold that honor. But India and its ambitious Gaganyaan program are knocking on the door.

In two years. Announced in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the aim of launching in 2022, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence, the Gaganyaan program accumulates several delays.

However, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has stepped on the accelerator, confirming that, although the first manned mission is postponed in early 2027, preparations advance at a good pace.

The road map. Isro prepares three unmanned orbital missions of the Gaganyaan ship before starting to launch astronauts, According to Eureka. The first is called G1 and is scheduled for the last quarter of 2025. The Vyommitra humanoid robot will carry on board, loaded with sensors to prepare manned flights.

The G2 and G3 missions will be followed in 2026, also with Vyommitra. And, if everything is going as planned, Mission H1, the first manned, will take off in the first quarter of 2027 aboard the HLVM3 rocket (a version of the LVM3 adapted for manned flights), followed by the H2 mission.

Astronauts. India has already designated four astronauts for these historical missions: the pilots of the Indian Air Force Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Angad Pratap and Shubhanshu Shukla, who will previously fly to the International Space Station in the Axiom 4 mission aboard a Spacex ship.

Everyone has formed as astronauts in Russia and, one of them, Shubhanshu Shukla, will have a previous experience this one before, when it flies to the International Space Station aboard a Crew Dragon ship as part of the commercial mission Axiom 4.

Ambitious plans. Indian ambitions do not end with putting astronauts in orbit. After the first two manned missions, a fourth unmanned mission of Gaganyaan, the G4, will be attached to the US segment of the International Space Station with an coupling system compatible with the NASA standard.

Will serve as proof of concept to put the orbit the first module of the Indian Space Station Bharatiya Antarksha Station (BAS), whose first module would be launched in 2028 in an orbit similar to ISS. The first load mission to BAS, the G5, is scheduled for 2029. BAS has the objective of establishing a permanent presence of Indians in low orbit, adding to China, which has its own space station, and the ISS member countries, which will be abandoned in 2030.

The next step will be to put an Indian astronaut on the lunar surface by 2040. For this, Isro is developing a new generation rocket propelled by methane, the NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle), which will have a version capable of placing 70 tons in low orbit.

Image | Isro

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