First crewless Gaganyaan flight end 2021 |
The first crewless flight to space as part of the preparations for India`s ambitious Gaganyaan project, originally planned for this year and then pushed to the first half of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will now only happen at the end of next year. Indian Space Research Organization, Isro will eventually also launch a second crewless flight, now scheduled for 2022, before launching humans into space. Isro chairman K Sivan said that the process of human rating is progressing well and is expected to be complete in the second half of next year. As part of the unmanned flight, Isro plans to send a humanoid developed in India. In June, when it became clear that the first crewless flight won`t happen this year, Sivan had said: “Whether we will launch two unmanned missions next year will depend on the emerging situations, we will have to decide based on what happens in the coming months. If COVID effects continue further, we may have to revisit some of our plans.” Last week, Isro flagged off the first human-rated S200 motor case for Gaganyaan`s first crewless mission. The high thrust solid propellant strap-on boosters, S200, plays an important role in the human-rated GSLV MkIII. Isro`s heavy-lift launcher, GSLV MkIII, identified for the Gaganyaan Mission is in the process of being human-rated. The human rating of the S200 motor case is another successful industry collaboration.
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