Indian Human Spaceflight Program (HSP)

[Indx TechStyle]

India eying an indigenous station in space

The project will be constructed once the 'Gaganyaan' human space mission is completed successfully, says ISRO's K Sivan.

India has set its eye on building its own space station in low earth orbit to conduct microgravity experiments in space in 5 to 7 years, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) revealed on Thursday.

The prospects of setting up such a space station at an altitude of 400 kilometres from earth would hinge on successfully carrying the 'Gaganyaan' human space mission, in which two to three Indian astronauts would send to space for a period of up to seven days before India celebrates its 75 anniversary of its independence, said ISRO Chairman K Sivan at a press conference here.

'Our own'

The proposed Indian space station would be much smaller than the existing International Space Station (ISS), launched into orbit about 20 years by space agencies from Canada, European Union, Japan, Russia and the US. "While ISS weighs 420 tonnes, Indian station is expected to have a payload of 20 tonnes," Sivan said.

The idea is to have “our own” space station where Indian astronauts can fly regularly to conduct microgravity experiments, the ISRO chief said. since 2000, astronauts have periodically visited the ISS to carry out close to 300 different microgravity science experiments in diverse fields such as astrobiology, astronomy, materials science, space medicine and space weather.

“The cost of the project is not yet worked out,” he said adding that the Indian space agency is yet to approach the government for the project approval.

According to Anurag Kumar Sinha, the Head of the Directorate of Human Space Programme at ISRO, the station would much smaller than ISS. The size of the envisaged station is equal to “two Gaganyaan crew modules and a little more”.

"The Indian station would be available for other countries to do collaborative research," Sinha said.

Preparations underway

According to Sivan, the preparations are going on for the ambitious 'Gaganyaan' human mission and an apex committee has been formed with former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan, Principal Scientific Adviser K VijayRaghavan, Defence Research and Development Organisation Chairman G Satheesh Reddy among others as members to choose the potential crew for the human space flight.

"The plan is to select around six candidates who would trained in India, as well as abroad, for becoming a space crew," said Sinha. "The crew chosen for the maiden space flight would be from test pilots from armed forces and once the human space flight is operationalised, the recruitment would be thrown open for others too," he said.

 

[Cutting Edge 2]

India eying an indigenous station in space

The project will be constructed once the 'Gaganyaan' human space mission is completed successfully, says ISRO's K Sivan.

We (insiders) knew about space station plan since a while ago. Why did he has to open his mouth in media and that too at early stage.

We have no human rated vehicle & module, no docking mechanism, no pressurized cargo supply module, no 24x7 ground support system, no gov approval, no money. First work on these and then talk.

We should let our action speak for itself. This is the problem with our agencies. Too much talking.

 

[IndianHawk]

We (insiders) knew about space station plan since a while ago. Why did he has to open his mouth in media and that too at early stage.

We have no human rated vehicle & module, no docking mechanism, no pressurized cargo supply module, no 24x7 ground support system, no gov approval, no money. First work on these and then talk.

We should let our action speak for itself. This is the problem with our agencies. Too much talking.

He is head of a premium space agency. He has enough intelligence to decide what to speak and when . He doesn't need nor care for your approval.

He has full political backing that is why ISRO has been working for 3 years already on spadex.
And that is why he outlined his program for future.

Space program are planned and executed in time span of decades. Get used to it.

Early announcement might be a way to impact negotiation about future of international space station and it's next version or it may simply be an announcement based on self confidence gained through progress till date. We may never know.

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[Cutting Edge 2]

.

He is head of a premium space agency. He has enough intelligence to decide what to speak and when . He doesn't need nor care for your approval.

He has full political backing that is why ISRO has been working for 3 years already on spadex.
And that is why he outlined his program for future.

Space program are planned and executed in time span of decades. Get used to it.

Early announcement might be a way to impact negotiation about future of international space station and it's next version or it may simply be an announcement based on self confidence gained through progress till date. We may never know.

Sent from my C103 using Tapatalk

He spoken too early. Lets first have a successful human launch and then he can speak as much as he wants.

 

[Knowitall]

To even talk about this shows how forward India has moved. A proud moment for Indians.

 

[IndianHawk]

.

He spoken too early. Lets first have a successful human launch and then he can speak as much as he wants.

And what if some mission doesn't succeed should we stop planning decades ahead. He spoke at correct time. It will take a decade to put a space station module up and that's what he has said.

Anyway sending 20 ton module in lower earth orbit by 2030 should be easy part. GAGANYAN itself is 8ton module and gslv MK3 can do it .

The difficulty task is to make docking successful.
And to make it human ready. That's what he said ISRO has been already working for 3 years.
This requires ISRO to work with life sciences and consulting with NASA and Russia will be immensely helpful in this regard.

You have not being paying attention. Crew recovery module test. New cryogenic unit test , gslv MK3 readiness .
These all have been in preparation for GAGANYAN even before GAGANYAN was ever approved. Same goes for space station .

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[Indx TechStyle]

We (insiders) knew about space station plan since a while ago. Why did he has to open his mouth in media and that too at early stage.

He had told about space station and habitation program in much more details months ago.
But he didn't get media attention at that time. And it's not something to hide. The concept was there since 2005. If you think people outside ISRO's staff didn't know about this plan, you don't know anything.

He just made the plan official.

We have no human rated vehicle & module, no docking mechanism, no pressurized cargo supply module, no 24x7 ground support system, no gov approval, no

We had unofficial government approval since around 16 and IHSP was revived in 2017. Every single support system we don't have at the moment isn't a challenge to make in 2-3 years. Budget is there.

And Modi didn't launch an arrow in air himself in 2018 independence day speech. Government was in touch with ISRO and once realistic schedule was decided for all missions, Modi gave it a political angle.

Seriously, you claim to be an insider.

Space program are planned and executed in time span of decades. Get used to it.

Timeline depends upon gap of technologies you currently have and what you want to do.
China wanted to launch humans in space when it had a rocket of size of SLV-3. It took decades for them. We are going after it when we have almost everything.

Rapid advances in space were made only by USA & USSR during cold war when it was a d!ck measuring contest of showing off capabilities than actual intetest in science & technology with budgets themselves skyrocketing.

We should let our action speak for itself. This is the problem with our agencies. Too much talking.

You had derailed main ISRO thread with your "analysis" which actually meant nothing. So for your so much cheerleading on SUPARCO thread. You failed defend your logic, leave alone facts that pierced your "analaysis".

I'd like see you active in forum in 2021-22. Don't put emojis like then.

 

[shiphone]

Timeline depends upon gap of technologies you currently have and what you want to do.
China wanted to launch humans in space when it had a rocket of size of SLV-3. It took decades for them. We are going after it when we have almost everything.

lol...what's wrong with your big mouth culture?

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would you plz tell us which one was the SLV-3 size rocket in China space launch history?

China began the space lauch mission with the 82 tons CZ-1 rocket...and the manned-space mission(servel projects emerged in the history ) was always based on the development varient of CZ-2 rocket family (400 tons class)...

Manned space mission-Project921 means the project was initiated in Jan 1992, the 3rd step of this project - space station building is due to complete in around 2022, it is really a 30 years longterm planning.

you don't need me to tell you what size of SLV-3,do you?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Launch_Vehicle

 

[Indx TechStyle]

lol...what's wrong with your big mouth culture?

There is a thing called context.

would you plz tell us which one was the SLV-3 size rocket in China space launch history?

I admit my bad comparing SLV-3 with much bigger CZ-1 directly which was much bigger than SLV-3. Nevertheless, CZ-1 was first Chinese orbital launch vehicle. My context of comparison should have been this and not that misguiding line where I compared both for size.

Still, both were primitive stage of space tech of both countries.

Manned space mission-Project921 means the project was initiated in Jan 1992, the 3rd step of this project - space station building is due to complete in around 2022, it is really a 30 years longterm planning.

I'm talking about Shuangong program and not Shenzhou.


Project 714 was envisaged at a time when Chinese launch vehicle tech was much primitive. It's same as that of Iranian manned space program, the country has only started to make orbital launch vehicle and launch capabilities are at an early stage.

Project 921 was very much feasible with sizeable rockets and developments with allied tech. So is Gaganyaan.

My response was essentially for this comment.

Space program are planned and executed in time span of decades. Get used to it.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

I'm talking about Shuangong program and not Shenzhou.

My bad again, it's called Shuguang and not Shuangong.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India has been quietly working on key technology to enable space station

HIGHLIGHTS

• Work on a key technology - space docking - without which a space station cannot be made functional has been going on for at least three years now
• Isro has already completed some ground simulations and the work on launching two small spacecraft to test this out in space is in the pipeline

BENGALURU: Isro chairman K Sivan's announcement about India planning its own space station may appear sudden, but work on a key technology - space docking - without which such a station cannot be made functional has been going on for at least three years now. The project has already got clearance and the department of space has earmarked Rs 10 crore.

Isro has been working on technology that will eventually allow it to transfer humans from one vehicle or spacecraft to another but the immediate goal is to enable refuelling of spacecraft to give them a longer life and also transfer other crucial systems to an existing spacecraft, by transporting another to space.

Space Docking Experiment, or SPADEX, as Isro calls it, has already seen work on several systems like signal analysis equipment, high-precision videometer for navigation, docking system electronics and real-time decision making for landing systems being done in various stages.

As part of SPADEX, we will "develop and demonstrate the technologies needed for docking two spacecraft (Chase & Target) and to control one spacecraft from the Attitude Control System of other spacecraft in the docked condition," Isro says.

Subsequent to docking, the Chaser and Target will be separated so that they would carry-out their designated experiments with payloads. Further, Isro said: "This technology will be a forerunner to future planetary missions including crew transfer, international participation et al."

Isro has already completed some ground simulations and the work on launching two small spacecraft to test this out in space is in the pipeline. However, with Chandrayaan-2, Aditya mission and Gaganyaan on top of Isro's priorities-satellite launches also needs augmentation-serious work on SPADEX may only being after three to four years. "But just like we kept preparing for Gaganyaan quietly, work will go on," one scientist said.

When ready, this technology will also be used for orbit servicing of satellites-as TOI had reported earlier-which will allow Isro to enhance lifespan of satellites, by refuelling them.

Late UR Rao, former Isro chairman and ex-chairman of Isro Advisory Committee, who had nursed ambitions of a space station for India, had earlier told TOI, "Space docking would also be used to transport people to space stations-bring back old people and put in the newer ones-or even send people in to replace equipment on spacecrafts and so on."

Challenges of docking Sivan, on Thursday ruled out sending Indian astronauts to the International Space Station - of which India is not a member - and said we will have our own station, which, insiders feel, will add impetus to the docking project.

However, there are multiple challenges Isro will have to overcome before it can attempt this in space. For one, docking will depend on space rendezvous: Isro must be equipped with capabilities wherein the two spacecraft will find each other and remain in the same orbit.

Docking has to be automatic and many of the functions thereon will have to be robotic. There is also the challenge of managing the speeds of each of the crafts when they near each other and to then dock the newer vehicle in a manner that they don't crash or collide into each other.

As per one plan document accessed by TOI, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) will work on rendezvous and docking. "To achieve docking during the final phase of the mission, the relative position and velocity of the target spacecraft and chaser spacecraft has to be brought to zero. To ensure proper alignment of the docking port, the relative angular orientation needs to be precisely aligned," the document reads.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Quoting sanman from NSF.

Here's an interesting presentation slide from the June 13, 2019 press conference:




So as we can see from the title of the slide, Gaganyaan is not a one-off, and has now become the opener for a "SustainedHuman Spaceflight Program". The slide shows 3 distinct sections:


First third of the slide

* Technology development phase
* Two unmanned and one manned flights
* Launch and stay of humans in space for 3-7 days

flight 1 (unmanned) is shown with the year date of 2020, flight 2 (unmanned) shows a date of 7/2021, while the 3rd (crewed) flight shows a date of 12/2021 (presumably ISRO's internal date for readiness)

this first third is about establishing "capability for human space flight"



Middle Third of the Slide

Indian Space Station
Robotic Lunar/Mars Mission

Long duration stay
Docking, EVA and space structure assembly

this middle third is about establishing "long duration stay in space"



Last Third of the Slide

Sample Return Mission to Moon/Mars/Asteroid
Colonies in Moon/Mars

* Interplanetary/manned missions
* Mining
* Colonization

that last third of the slide is about "interplanetary missions" and seems to be the longer term open-ended vision without any specific timeline



------------



Regarding that first third of the slide, it only seems to show up to the first maiden crewed flight, and no further capsule-only flights are mentioned. There's no Alexei Leonov-style capsule-spacewalk flight, etc mentioned. If anything like that's going to happen, it will be part of the middle third of the slide, presumably in connection with the planned Indian space station.

In the middle third of the slide we see a graphic meant to represent the Indian space station, which looks like 2 modules joined together. While it may be just a boilerplate/filler image, it may still have some basis to it. Dr Sivan said that the Indian space station would be ~20 tons, which could conceivably correspond to 2 modules of ~10 tons each, consistent with what we see in the image. Meanwhile, ISRO is readying the SC-200 stage for integration into the GLSV-Mk3 launch stack, which could give a lift capacity of ~11 tons to LEO. That could allow for a space station like the one shown in the graphic to be lofted with a couple of launches.

The last third of the slide mentions sample return missions from the Moon, Mars and asteroids. These seem to be logical precursors to future manned missions to these places, for which return capability would have to be demonstrated for bringing people back safely.


But we now see that "sustained human spaceflight" is being declared a long-term integral part of India's space program. This seems to be an early high-level roadmap for it.

Somebody get those slides.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Own space station is crucial to India, says Isro chairman K Sivan

File photo of Isro chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan

On Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation, Isro, asked researchers to use the fourth stage of its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to find ways to dock a robotic arm with the spacecraft, just two days after it said it was looking to build a space station within a decade.

The significance is that the fourth stage of the vehicle can be used for the experiments that will be conducted in the space station. If successful in building its own space station, India will be the fourth country, after Russia, the US, and China, to set up a space station.

In recent years, India’s space ambitions have been expanding beyond having planetary missions to talking about anti-satellite missile tests, creating a Defence Space Agency, and now its own space station by 2030.

But what will a space station mean to India and is it worth spending vast sums of money on it? It’s important to understand that space technology impacts our lives in myriad ways, from communications, agriculture management, disaster management, land management, and national security. Isro’s former chairman G Madhavan Nair said establishing a space station is a must for ‘keeping the leadership in the space arena’.

A space station is a spacecraft which revolves around the earth and provides a small habitable space for a few humans to live for a few days to carry out cutting edge scientific research in an environment that cannot be simulated on earth.

Currently, the International Space Station (ISS) is the only functional space station in the earth’s lower orbit, where at any point in a year, six astronauts conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. The 360-tonne space station is circling the earth 400 km above its surface. The ISS is a multinational collaboration among the European Space Agency, NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canada CSA, and Roscosmos of Russia.

Unlike the ISS, India's space station won’t be very big; it will probably weigh around 15-20 tonnes, it will be used for microgravity tests, and it will be able to accommodate a small group of persons for 15-20 days. Isro chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan says the plan for India’s own space station is a logical extension of the Rs 10,000 crore human space programme scheduled for 2022. Without a space station, he said, the human space programme will not have a conclusion.

Once Isro masters the technology to send humans into space, the next step will be experimenting with technologies allowing humans to live in space. “Completing the space station in 5-7 years will be a challenge but fortunately Isro has already been developing technologies, such as the space docking technology, which will help to complete the station on time,” said Ajey Lele, senior fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The space station will be an extension of the Gaganyaan Mission which involves sending three Indian astronauts to space for seven days in lower earth orbit (of 120-400 km).

While this mission will have astronauts who have to drive the spacecraft, the space station may require other human resources for conducting research. The space station will help to accelerate the development of reusable rockets, in-orbit docking systems, and manned missions.

The station will create new opportunities for other spacecraft to dock as well as allowing for cross-collaboration experiments. This is important given that, after 2028 when the ISS likely to have been wound up, the only crewed space station is likely to be China’s.

While Isro possesses the technical capabilities, the budget is an issue. Around $120 billion has been spent on the ISS while the cost of maintaining it annually is around $6-7 billion. Though India’s space station will not require such a big budget, it will need a significant amount of money. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, fellow & head, Nuclear & Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation, believes that while some understand India’s need for a space station, there is also a different view.

“There is a feeling that India has caught the Asian space race fever and that the space station is being taken as a matter of prestige and pride of the country,” she said. “Isro should collaborate with countries like the US who have the experience and will be comfortable working with India.”

Space mission

• Last week ISRO said it intends to build a space station by 2023

  (Correction 2030)

• If successful, India will be the 4th country to set up a space station on its own after Russia, the US and China

• Nearly $120 billion was spent on the ISS

• ISS likely to be wound up in 2028, so China's space station is likely to be the only crewed space station left

• ISRO says it is a natural extension of India's human space programme and is needed to keep leadership in the space arena

• The proposed space station will be 15-20 tonnes in weight, will be used for microgravity tests, can host people for 15-20 days

 

[Deathstar]

I think first we need to collaborate with NASA and other agencies and send our astronauts to ISS , this will give adequate experience to both ISRO and the Indian Astronauts

 

[Indx TechStyle]

I think first we need to collaborate with NASA and other agencies and send our astronauts to ISS , this will give adequate experience to both ISRO and the Indian Astronauts

ISS wasn't made as per Indian demands. First, we will have to make transfer module or Indian human Spaceflight program won't be left Indian anymore.

There is already little room for Indian astronauts and experiments we want to carry out. Second, ISS won't survive till 2030.

 

[IndianHawk]

I think first we need to collaborate with NASA and other agencies and send our astronauts to ISS , this will give adequate experience to both ISRO and the Indian Astronauts

We are collaborating with Russia and Nasa on life support technologies.

The real challenge is to successfully recover the module in bay of Bengal.

So as long the module is not broken in either ascend of descend and If module is perfectly sealed with oxygen generation working properly vyomnauts will remain alive.

That's all GAGANYAN is about .

For space station program we need Indian docking mechanism which can connect Indian module together. So that we can keep building bigger and bigger stations with time.

Let's see if west invites us for a future international space station.

Sent from my C103 using Tapatalk

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India's Institute of Aerospace Medicine has issued a mission patch to the doctors who will be evaluating the astronaut candidates for the Gaganyaan initial human spaceflight mission:

Credit: sanman from NSF

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Glavkosmos signs contract with ISRO for training Indian astronauts

Russia: First Deputy Director General of Glavkosmos (part of Roscosmos State Corporation) Natalia Lokteva and Director of Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) Dr. S.Unnikrishnan Nair signed a contract for selection support, medical examination and space training of Indian astronauts.

Glavkosmos will render to HSFC services on consulting support of the selection of candidates for the Indian astronauts, providing a medical examination of the candidates for access to space flight related training programs and providing space flight related training for the Indian astronauts selected on the basis of the medical examination.

The work will be provided with the support of the Federal State Budget Organization «U.A. Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center» and the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Human Space Flight Centre is a part of the Indian Space Research Organization established to develop life support systems, crew training and planning for future missions under the Gaganyaan project.

 

[Holy Triad]

After Chandrayaan-2, VSSC bracing for human space flight

After the successful launch of GSLV-MkIII carrying the lander and rover to unravel the mystery of the moon, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), which focuses on achieving excellence in launch vehicle technology for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), here is bracing for Gaganyaan, the ambitious human space flight programme, which includes the crew escape system. It would be the same GSLV-MkIII version that would carry the vyomanauts to space.
However, the vehicle will have to be reconfigured to take astronauts to space by ensuring triple modular redundancy or more as it cannot afford a technical snag like the one that happened in Chandrayaan-2.

As per the design, the vehicle will have the three stages — solid, liquid and cryogenic — and above it would be the crew module carrying the astronauts for Gaganyaan. The three-stage vehicle would work in the same way as it performed in the Chandrayaan mission, according to VSSC officials.




However, the crew escape system, an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of an aborted launch, will have to be integrated after holding test flights.


According to VSSC director S Somanath, there would be some advanced intelligence equipment on board of the vehicle which ensure cent per cent redundancy and there would be two unmanned flights before the final flight with vyomanauts. “We hope the vehicle can be readied by reconfiguring it in a year,” he added. The unmanned vehicle would be able to cushion the shocks and vibrations to some extent like an aircraft as the human being to be taken to space should be able to withstand them.


Further, the advanced equipment in the vehicle must be able to find its faults and rectify them during its flight. ISRO successfully flight-tested the crew escape system on July 5, 2018, the first in a series of tests to qualify the system, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight.

idrw.org .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website https://idrw.org/after-chandrayaan-2-vssc-bracing-for-human-space-flight/ .

@Indx TechStyle

Bhai,do you have any updates on the space suit,

This is the latest info I got so far,
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india...rew-model-for-2022-mission-1334124-2018-09-07

 

[Indx TechStyle]

@Indx TechStyle

Bhai,do you have any updates on the space suit,

Not dedicated updates.
Suite earlier we made was based on our understanding and perceptions about humans in space. As crew training & selection is ongoing and India is consulting to already experienced Glavkosmos for life support systems, suite will get a lot of modifications.