NASA keen on sharing its expertise with ISRO for Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission, says ISRO

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking forward to sharing data and expertise with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan, human space flight programme.

Kathryn Lueders, Associate Administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) at NASA told reporters here on Tuesday after delivering a talk on Future of Human Space Exploration, that the US space agency will share its experience in the human space flight regime.

“One of the reasons I am here is to establish and build on the NASA-ISRO Human Space Flight Working Group. Right now we are just working on exchange of data, we can share any experience we have in the human space flight regime. But part of the next step is for us to identify what may be ways for us to share training protocols and our data that we both get from human space flight perspective,” said Ms. Lueders.

She added that NASA was looking forward to the next bi-annual meet between the two space agencies in February next year.

“One of the things which we really are trying to do is to look at what are the next concrete steps that we can work together from human space flight perspective and other potential collaborations across the board. We have these two space-faring nations and we really feel like it’s important for us to be working together,” she added.

According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.

The first trial (uncrewed flight) for Gaganyaan is being planned by the end of 2023 or early 2024. This will be followed by sending Vyom Mitra, a humanoid and then with the crew onboard.