Human space flight programme – UPSC GS3

India’s status:
  • India at present does not have human space flight programme.
  • The only Indian citizen to ever travel to space was fighter pilot Rakesh Sharma who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 (spacecraft of former USSR) in 1984.
  • ISRO is preparing report to be submitted to government for approval for human space flight programme.
  • Critical technology developments and demonstration for indigenous human space flight capability are in progress.
  • The crew module systems, space suit, recovery systems, crew escape systems and elements of environmental control and life support systems already have developed by ISRO.
  • ISRO already has designed phased programme in place to execute such mission.
  •  Once it gets government approval, it will be ready to demonstrate and execute human space flight within short time frame.
  • If the programme approved, it could take less than 10 years for ISRO to take human to space once.
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted test of Crew Escape System that provides escape mechanism for astronauts if the launch operation is aborted.
World status:
  • Only three countries United States of America (USA), Russia and China have human space flight programmes.

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