Indian Air Force on Friday said that it has completed the first level of astronaut selection for Mission Gaganyaan- an indigenous mission that would take Indian astronauts to space. According to a tweet posted by IAF's official handle, the level-1 astronaut selection took place at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine.
It said that selected test pilots underwent extensive physical exercise tests, lab investigations, radiological tests, clinical tests & evaluation on various facets of their psychology.
Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft that is intended to send 3 astronauts to space for a minimum of seven days by 2022, as part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
The spacecraft, which is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), consists of a service module and a crew module, collectively known as the Orbital Module. It will be for the first time that India will launch its manned mission to space, making the country fourth in line to have sent a human to space.
ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk III, the three-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload capability. GSLV MK III is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The powerful cryogenic stage of GSLV Mk III enables it to place heavy payloads into LEO's of 600 km altitude. The launcher uses two S200 solid rocket boosters to provide the huge amount of thrust required for lift off.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Gaganyaan mission during his Independence Day speech earlier this year in 2018.
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