Indian Space Station Likely to Accommodate Three Astronauts – The Weather Channel

GSLV Mk-IIIthe launch vehicle that will launch Gaganyaan into the low-Earth orbit

The Indian Space Station, which the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to establish between 2024 and 2026, is likely to have space to accommodate three astronauts. The space station programme is an extension of GaganyaanISROs human spaceflight mission.

According to a report in The Times of India, though the plan is in its nascent stage, initial designs of the space station suggest a 20-tonne modular abode, placed in the low-Earth orbit (LEO), approximately 120 to 140 kilometres away from the Earths surface.

The Indian Space Station, however, is largely dependent on the successful execution of Gaganyaan.

In the 2022 human spaceflight mission, ISRO plans to send three Indian astronauts to space, and then bring them back via the same crew module. Primarily a technology demonstrator mission, it will see the astronaut trio head into the Earths orbit to carry out scientific experiments for seven days. The GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle will be used to place the 7,800 kg Gaganyaan craft into the low-Earth orbit.

After the missions completion, the space agency will make use of Gaganyaans technology, including the orbital module, life-support system and human-rated launch vehicles, in the subsequent space station programme.

The International Space Station, photographed from the space shuttle Atlantis on July 19, 2011

For the past three years, ISRO has also been working on a new space docking technology that will allow the transfer of humans from one spacecraft to another, and the refueling of spacecrafts in space. The department of science has earmarked 10 crore for the project, and a docking experiment is likely to be conducted next year.

Back in June 2019, during the announcement of the space station project, ISRO chairman K Sivan had mentioned that the station will be set up in the next five to seven years, and that it wont be very big. However, its size remained unclear until now.

Sivan had also declared that ISRO fully intends to use its own space station, and not be a part of the International Space Station (ISS), which is jointly managed by the USA, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada. The ISS orbits at an average altitude of 400 kilometres.

Space stations are vital because they provide a unique laboratory setting with their exposure to space and the zero-gravity environment, which is extremely difficult to replicate here on Earth. The divergent behaviour of cells and chemicals in space helps scientists study their variant behaviours and applications.

Read the rest here:
Indian Space Station Likely to Accommodate Three Astronauts - The Weather Channel