Bengaluru: India’s ambitions to carry humans to space will not stop at its maiden human spaceflight targeted for 2027. To ensure that Gaganyaan becomes a sustained space exploration mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will establish a crew isolation facility and astronaut quarters in Sriharikota, where future astronauts will be trained and equipped for space travel.
A senior ISRO official told ThePrint that early this month, the space agency floated a detailed notice inviting tenders worth Rs 26.02 crore for the planning, designing, and construction of an astronaut isolation facility. A Gaganyatri Nivas will be set up, serving as a training centre for future astronauts. The facility will train and acclimatise them for space exploration.
“We have called private parties to bid. We have a few examples of these facilities in other countries and will be taking design and technical inspiration from them,” the official said.
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Flying to space
The tender has been floated for an EPC Mode-II, which means that the facility’s architectural planning and design will be provided by ISRO and the contractor will only be responsible for implementing construction and electrical work.
The official said that while India is preparing to send at least two Indian astronauts to space by 2027, under its maiden Gaganyaan mission, the space agency is planning to extend its human spaceflight expertise with more regular missions.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of an astronaut pool, which will go beyond just training test pilots from the Indian Air Force, or officers from the armed forces, to fly to space. ISRO officials said that the new round of training will include professionals from all walks of life–teachers, medical professionals, scientists–to ensure that various facets of space exploration are taken care of.
“We would need professionals like microbiologists, medical doctors, botanists, to be able to conduct their experiments and research in space. The coming up of India’s own Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) will also help realise this future,” the official told ThePrint.
It is toward this end that the Gaganyaan Nivas and a crew isolation facility are being set up, officials said. As opposed to India’s first batch of astronaut designates–Prasanth Nair, Shubhanshu Shukla, Angad Pratap and Ajit Krishnan–who had to complete their training in Russia and the US, the new batches will get an opportunity to be fully trained in Indian facilities.
Officials said that the facility will be similar to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mission Simulation and Training Facility (MSTF), which has various simulators replicating different aspects of space travel.
“Once a basic facility is ready, we can keep adding more facilities to it,” the officer said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)