Indian Human Spaceflight Program

Image Courtesy ISRO/Flight Global. Indian manned capsule design as revealed at Aero India 2009

India and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Activities in the Field of Human Spaceflight Program during the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to India in December 2008.

"As per the agreement, an Indian astronaut will first go on a space mission on a Russian spacecraft (Soyuz, 2013). This will be followed by an Indian manned mission to space in 2015," ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told PTI here.

In February, 2008, NASA signed a framework agreement with ISRO that includes human spaceflight co-operation.

On October 4, 2009, Russian space agency "Roskosmos" spokesman Alexei Krasnov said ISRO has formally made a request to the agency to fly two Indian astronauts in 'Soyuz TMA' ship to be piloted by a Russian cosmonaut.

"ISRO has applied for acquiring a spaceship for sending space tourists," he said.

Krasnov, said the deal would be commercial but did not indicate the value of the contract.

"It depends on the route and duration of the flight, which are yet to be finalized," he said.

Russia reportedly charges about $35 million for a space tourist's 10-day flight to International Space Station (ISS).

Crew Vehicle

"We will be redesigning the Soyuz space capsule of the Russian agency for our mission," says ISRO chief Madhavan Nair.

The modified Soyuz will be carried atop a GSLV II / GSLV III launcher that will lift off from a new (third) launch pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota,

ISRO's concept is to accommodate two, with an option for a third traveler, in a three ton capsule.

The spacecraft is being designed for a seven day mission on completion of which it will splash down either in the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal.

Human Rated Launcher

To begin with, ISRO will use a GSLV II, capable of placing 8 tons in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), to launch the manned spacecraft into a 275 km to 400 km orbit. The GLSV II will essentially be a human flight rated GSLV launcher with a crew escape system (CES) fitted on top.

"The regular GSLV will be used for the human spaceflight. In case we use Mark III, we can send three persons instead of two," K Radhakrishnan,  Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre told PTI on January 1, 2009.

The CES will allow the capsule to detach from the launcher during any phase of the launch and descend safely using parachutes.

 “The CES will have the ability to sense the mishap a few seconds in advance and get the crew out fast,” explains Dr. Radhakrishnan.

When the GSLV III, capable of placing 10 tons in LEO, becomes operational in 2010/11, ISRO will have the option to put a third astronaut in the spacecraft.

Mission Control Center

A critical requirement will be the building of a Mission Control Centre (MCC) to monitor the mission during its ascent, orbital and descent phase.

The facilities at the spaceport at Sriharikota and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Centre (ISTRAC), Bangalore, are being upgraded to serve as the Mission Control Centers.

Technological Challenges

ISRO has already validated some of the technologies required to ensure safe recovery of a manned spacecraft, through the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1).

SRE-1, a 1,212-pound (550-kg) space capsule, was successfully launched on January 10, 2007 on board PSLV C7 and recovered on January 22, demonstrating ISRO capability to recover satellite from orbit at a predetermined location

The mission validated technology for a manned spacecraft's controlled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and tested heat-resistant materials developed to ensure a safe ride home for the crew.

A followup mission, SRE 2, is planned in the 2010-11 time frame.