Gaganyaan
Gaganyaan crew-module mounted on TV-D1 vehicle, in-preparations towards a sub-orbital test flight. | |
| Manufacturer | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | India |
| Operator | ISRO |
| Applications | Crewed orbital vehicle |
| Website | ISRO |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Crewed |
| Launch mass | 8,200 kg (18,100 lb) (includes service module) |
| Dry mass | 3,735 kg (8,234 lb) |
| Crew capacity | 3 |
| Dimensions | Diameter: 3.5 m (11 ft) Height: 3.58 m (11.7 ft) |
| Volume | 8 m3 (280 cu ft) |
| Power | Photovoltaic array |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Design life | 7 days |
| Production | |
| Status | In development |
| Maiden launch |
|
Gaganyaan Mission Patch | |
Gaganyaan (Sanskrit: [ɡəɡənəjɑːnə],ⓘ, from Sanskrit: gagana, "celestial" and yāna, "craft, vehicle") is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people to low Earth orbit, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capabilities.
In its maiden crewed mission, ISRO's largely autonomous 5.3-metric tonne capsule will orbit the Earth at 400 km altitude for up to seven days with a two- or three-person crew on board. The first crewed mission was originally planned to be launched on ISRO's human-rated LVM3 rocket (HLVM3) in December 2021. As of November 2024, it is expected to be launched no earlier than 2027.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-manufactured crew module underwent its first uncrewed experimental flight on 18 December 2014. As of May 2019, design of the crew module has been completed. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provides support for critical human-centric systems and technologies such as space-grade food, crew healthcare, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for the safe recovery of the crew module, and the fire suppression system.
The Gaganyaan mission is led by V. R. Lalithambika, the former Director of the Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme with ISRO Chairman Dr.Narayanan V and Rajarajan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Imtiaz Ali Khan superseded V. R. Lalithambika as the Director of the Directorate of Human Spaceflight Programme.