Gaganyaan mission | Women, people outside IAF to be part of astronaut pool India plans to create: Report

India is all set to create a pool of astronauts to take part in the future human flight mission. Officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) told the Indian Express that the pool would not be restricted to only Air Force personnel and would also include women astronauts. The remarks from Isro officials came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted at the same endeavour in his address on the National Space Day.

The Prime Minister maintained that India is preparing to set up a pool of astronauts for future missions and urged the youth to be part of this group.

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“It has been decided that the astronaut pool will not be restricted to the Air Force alone. It will have people from all walks of life. Globally, if you see, it’s not just researchers but also entrepreneurs who are travelling to space. The decision to include women in the growing astronaut pool has also been taken,” a senior ISRO official told the Indian Express on the condition of anonymity.

Experience was required for the first mission

It is pertinent to note that the initial Gaganyaan flights include four Indian Air Force test pilots — Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla, Prashanth Nair, Angad Pratap and Ajith Krishnan — who received astronaut training in Russia and India.

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“The first batch of astronauts had to be selected from the Air Force because we needed very experienced pilots. For the initial flights, the vehicle is still under development and testing,” the ISRO official told the Indian Express. 

The initiative is seen as a step towards realising the promise made by PM Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2018, when he announced the country’s first human spaceflight mission. “An Indian boy or girl will unfurl the Tricolour in space,” the Prime Minister had said in his Independence Day speech.

While delivering a video address to the nation on Saturday, the Prime Minister lauded Group Captain Shubhanshu and encouraged youth to take part in Space Exploration.

“In my conversation with Group Captain Shubhanshu, I saw the boundless courage and infinite dreams of the youth of New Bharat. To take these dreams forward, we are also preparing an astronaut pool for Bharat. On this Space Day, I invite my young friends to join this astronaut pool and give wings to the dreams of Bharat," the Prime Minister said.

Earlier, during interaction with Shukla after his return from the United States, the Prime Minister said India should have a ready pool of 40-50 astronauts. As per the current roadmap of Isro, India aims to send its own astronauts to space with its Gaganyaan mission by 2027. This includes the formation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and sending a manned mission to the Moon by 2040.

So far, the government has approved eight flights under the Gaganyaan mission, two crewed and six uncrewed. One of the six uncrewed missions will also carry the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

“We have already reached the Moon and Mars. Now we must delve deeper into those regions of space where many vital mysteries for the future of humanity are concealed. Beyond galaxies lies our horizon,” the Prime Minister said in his address.

In his speech, the prime minister also mentioned increasing the country’s launch frequency with the help of private players. “At present, we witness about five to six major launches annually from Indian soil. I would like the private sector to take the lead so that in the next five years, we reach a stage where we launch 50 rockets every year. One every week,” the PM said.