Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission

Context- ISRO successfully testified to the Gaganyaan-Human Spaceflight  mission at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

Key Highlights 

• The three-member crew will be launched into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day mission and returned safely to Earth during a scheduled landing in the Indian Ocean. 
• This manned mission is the first of ISRO’s human spaceflight missions.  
• The United States, Russia and China are the only three countries that have made a human space flight. 
• It was launched from ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk III (3-stage heavy lift). 

Importance of Gaganyaan Mission 

• India’s goal of  self-reliance: It supports the Make in India capability development for satellite launches and India’s goal of  self-reliance as per Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision.
  • This will reduce India’s dependence on foreign aid in this area.  
• RandD and Robotics Program: It  also promotes scientific and technological research and development, especially in space. 
  • This is in line with India’s progress towards a long-term and affordable program for robotic and human exploration of the solar system and beyond.  
• Focus on Regional Needs: Gaganyaan is focusing on regional needs as there may not be enough International Space Stations (ISS) to cover all the needs of the world. 
• Strengthening international ties: By sharing ambitious but peaceful goals, the initiative promotes international partnerships and global security.  

Challenges of Gaganyaan Astronauts

• Environmental Hazards: This includes radiation hazards and the hostile environment of space with no gravity and no atmosphere.  
• Artificial atmosphere: pure oxygen or an atmosphere consisting of a mixture of earth-like oxygen and an inert gas such as nitrogen, helium or argon are  two main possibilities. 
• Astronauts can develop medical problems for the following reasons: 
  • Microgravity: Changing from one gravitational field to another affects hand-eye and head-eye coordination, resulting in loss of orientation, vision, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, etc.  
  • Isolation: Behavioral problems are likely to occur when astronauts are confined to small spaces and must rely on limited resources. 
  • They may experience depression, cabin fever, fatigue, sleep disorders and other psychiatric disorders. 
• Aeronautical Technology Challenges: Space travel requires much higher speeds than normal air traffic. A rocket can go from zero to nearly 25,000 kilometers per hour in  minutes, making space travel akin to sitting on an exploding bomb. 
• During the launch, pre-launch and post-launch periods, anything can go wrong, including the rocket exploding.

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