ISRO, India’s space agency, recently announced that it has started putting together the Human-Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3) for the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send humans into space for the first time. This assembly is taking place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, and it marks an important milestone in India's journey towards human spaceflight.
This event also celebrates the 10th anniversary of a previous mission called Launch Vehicle Mark-3, which took place on December 18, 2014.
ISRO has confirmed that the HLVM3 has been thoroughly tested to ensure it is safe for carrying astronauts. The agency has included a reliable Crew Escape System that will protect the crew in case of emergencies during the takeoff.
The HLVM3 is a large rocket, standing at 53 meters tall and weighing 640 tonnes. It can carry about 10 tonnes of cargo into space. To ensure the safety of the astronauts, the crew module has been designed with extra safety features and backup systems.
The data collected during the initial uncrewed flights will be very useful for future manned missions. Additionally, what ISRO learns from the Gaganyaan program will help in building the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, a planned space station.
On December 18, 2024, at 8:45 am, the assembly process officially began with the stacking of specific rocket components. Following this, the agency will prepare other important rocket parts and systems necessary for the mission.
Currently, the crew module is being put together at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, while preparations for other parts are happening at a different facility in Bangalore. After these steps, further integrations and tests will occur to ensure everything is ready for the mission.
In other news, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to stay in space longer than originally planned. The astronauts launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the company’s inaugural crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Initially, their mission was slated to last just one week. However, due to delays in launching their replacement crew, their time in space has been extended. They will now continue their journey until at least March 2025, marking nearly ten months since their launch.
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Inputs from PTI
