The first test flight of India’s human-rated rocket for its human space mission, ‘Gaganyaan,’ is expected to take place in December 2024, according to a top official from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Speaking to the media after the successful orbiting of India’s Earth observation satellite EOS-08, ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath stated, “The Gaganyaan rocket’s three stages have arrived at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The integration of the crew module is currently underway at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram.”
Dr. Somanath confirmed that all systems for the Gaganyaan rocket, codenamed G1, are expected to arrive at Satish Dhawan Space Centre by November, with a target launch date set for December.
On Friday morning, ISRO’s new rocket, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), successfully placed two satellites—EOS-08 and SR-0, the latter belonging to the space start-up Space Rickshaw—into orbit with precision.
This marked the third and final development flight of the SSLV. Dr. Somanath announced that the SSLV development process has been successfully completed, and ISRO is now in the process of transferring SSLV technology to industry partners.
“The SSLV design has been kept simple for the industry to manufacture,” he said.
Designed and developed by ISRO, the SSLV has a payload capacity of 500 kg and is powered by solid fuel. The space agency plans to transfer not only the SSLV technology to industry for commercial production but also the knowledge of building the rocket.
“We will transfer the knowledge, not just the drawings. Industry representatives will come to ISRO to learn how to build rockets,” Dr. Somanath added.
Last year, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the regulator for private players in the Indian space sector, announced ISRO’s decision to transfer SSLV technology to private companies. The process of selecting the industry or consortium of industries is currently ongoing.
Dr. Somanath mentioned that it will take approximately two years for the selected party to learn and roll out two SSLVs. In the meantime, public sector company NewSpace India Ltd will fund the SSLV production.
Regarding the second launch pad at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Somanath noted that construction work has begun, with the facility expected to be commissioned within two years.
Source: NDTV
