'Gagan' no limit

Nazeer Waris

India launched the Gaganyaan into the space last week. It is the prototype of the future vehicle which our country would be sending into the space with astronauts.

In scientific terms, it is being called Crewed Orbital Spacecraft which can carry threeperson crew onboard. However, in its current form, it is an empty spaceship.

The Gaganyaan is a 5.3 metric ton capsule which will orbit around the earth at 400 kilometre altitude for up to seven days with two-or three-person crew onboard.

On it return it will splash down in the sea. All such manoeuvres are currently being tested in order to ensure safety arrangements. So far only one Indian has travelled in space.

It was Rakesh Sharma who flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz-T-11 in April 1984. It was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in former USSR. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which conducts India's space programmes, expects the first space ship with Indian astronauts to travel in space in 2024.

Before that ISRO will make it certain that the crewed spaceship is tested for all eventualities and safety is fully ensured. Gaganyaan’s launch is a huge success for ISRO and India’s mission in space.

If India's mission to send humans in the near earth orbit becomes successful, India will be the fourth country to launcha human space mission.

After the successful landing of India’s Moon mission Chandrayaan on the south pole of Moon, Gaganyaan scripts a new chapter in India’s capability in space exploration.