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Context:
Before it sends the actual human spaceflight mission under the Gaganyaan programme, the ISRO has been conducting simulation missions — known as ‘analog’ experiments — during which selected astronauts are spending several days in confined spacecraft-like conditions.
Read about:
What is the Gaganyaan mission?
What is the significance of the Gaganyaan mission?
Key takeaways:
- Analog space missions are field experiments carried out on Earth in places that resemble the harsh conditions of outer space. They play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of human spaceflight research.
- For India’s human space missions, it is essential to gather data on Indian subjects to study the physiological, psychological, and operational difficulties astronauts may face.
- According to ISRO, ground-based analog missions—designed to replicate certain features of human space travel—offer valuable insights into health risks and performance issues in space-like environments.
- Beyond preparing astronauts for such conditions, these missions help ISRO develop key protocols for communication, resource management, and other operational processes.
- The only factor missing in these Gaganyaan Analog Experiments, or Gyanex, is microgravity. During Gyanex missions, astronaut candidates and other participants live in a confined module that simulates a spacecraft or space station.
- They follow daily routines, conduct scientific experiments, and rely solely on the limited resources available within the module—right down to consuming specially developed food provided by DRDO.
- These simulations are currently being carried out in Bangalore inside a static mock-up of the spacecraft. The first in this series, Gyanex-1, took place in July, when Group Captain Angad Pratap and two team members spent 10 days inside the simulator, during which they completed 11 scientific experiments
Gaganyaan Mission
- The Gaganyaan Mission is India’s first human spaceflight programme being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Its primary objective is to demonstrate India’s capability to send humans into space, ensure their safe stay in orbit, and bring them back safely to Earth.
- Under this mission, a crew of Indian astronauts will be launched into a low Earth orbit of about 400 km for a period of three days, after which they will return with a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
- To prepare for this ambitious goal, ISRO has been conducting extensive groundwork, including the development of a human-rated launch vehicle (the GSLV Mk-III, now called LVM-3), an orbital module consisting of a crew module and a service module, and life-support systems.
- Astronaut training is being carried out in collaboration with international agencies, with Indian Air Force test pilots selected as the first batch of astronaut candidates.
- Before the final human mission, ISRO plans to launch a series of uncrewed test flights, including one carrying a humanoid robot named “Vyommitra,” which will simulate human responses in space.
- In addition, analog experiments such as the Gaganyaan Analog Experiments (Gyanex) are being conducted on Earth to test protocols related to confinement, communication, and resource management under space-like conditions.
- The mission is not just about sending humans into space—it marks a ma