India's space program is ambitious and aims to achieve manned space flight

According to foreign media reports, Indian Space Research Organization Chairman K. Sivan recently detailed the country's first manned space flight mission.

The mission, called Gaganyan, is expected to cost 10,000 crore rupees (about $1.4 billion) and is scheduled to be carried out in December 2021. The four candidate astronauts will soon begin an 11-month physical training in Russia, but the first space flight may only carry one person.

Regarding India's ambitious space program, Pang Zhihao, chief scientific communication expert of China's space exploration technology, told Science and Technology Daily: "If India can successfully carry out this manned space flight mission, it will become the fourth country in the world to master manned space technology independently, which is of great significance to India."

However, Pang Zhihao also pointed out: "Manned spacecraft is a brand new spacecraft for India. For India, which has limited economic and technological strength, it is difficult to successfully realize manned space flight. It requires international cooperation and the whole country's efforts for many years to have hope."

If successful, it will be of great significance

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the manned space mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort during an event to celebrate India’s Independence Day on August 15, 2018. Modi said that “a son and daughter of India” will carry the Indian flag into space in 2022, when India celebrates its 75th anniversary of independence.

According to a report on the Hindustan Times website on January 8, Sivan confirmed that all candidate astronauts are male, "These Indian astronauts (all Indian Air Force pilots) are likely to undergo 11 months of physical training in Russia from the third week of January, and then return to India to train in the crew module and service module of our own design."

Sivan said that although all four people will receive comprehensive training, it is likely that only one person will enter space during the first flight mission. He pointed out: "The mission we are designing is to allow three people to stay in low-Earth orbit for seven days. But in the end, whether we send two people or one person, and stay in orbit for seven days or one day, these issues will be decided after the two unmanned flights are completed. Generally speaking, the first flight is crucial. The first manned flights of space powers such as the United States, Russia and China only have one astronaut."

This manned space flight is of great significance to India. Pang Zhihao explained: "So far, humans have developed three major types of spacecraft for space development, namely artificial earth satellites, space probes and manned spacecraft. Manned space flight is a higher stage of development of space technology. Although manned space flight is of great significance, it is also the most challenging and complex technology. Therefore, only the United States, Russia and China have independently mastered manned space technology. Europe, Japan and Canada must rely on international cooperation to carry out manned space activities."

Pang Zhihao further said: "To date, India has developed artificial earth satellites and space probes. If it can successfully carry out this manned space flight mission, it will become the fourth country in the world to master manned space technology independently, which can greatly enhance India's international reputation, reflect its comprehensive national strength, enhance national cohesion, and fill the gap in India's manned space flight field."

To do a good job, first sharpen your tools

If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. India has started all kinds of preparations for manned space flight. Sivan said that the Defense Food Research Laboratory in Mysore, India is preparing food for the mission. "The astronaut food is developed by the laboratory, and some laboratories of the Defense Research and Development Organization are also providing logistical support for this mission. In addition, Russia is helping us design space suits." The Indian Asian News International News Agency said on Twitter that the food prepared by the Defense Food Research Laboratory includes egg rolls, vegetarian rolls, black mung bean rice cakes, mung bean desserts and Indian fried rice.

According to Sivan, the design of the crew module and service module has been completed. India's largest launch vehicle, the third-generation geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle, will carry astronauts into space. This heavy rocket has also been redesigned and has a 4-meter-long payload fairing. However, Sivan also said: "The manned launch vehicle is still just 'paper talk' and has not yet been built."

In addition, humanoid robots for unmanned missions are also being manufactured. Sivan said: "This humanoid robot can simulate human behavior and record parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate. Before carrying out manned space missions, we will carry out two unmanned flight missions to ensure that everything works well, the cabin environment is controllable, and there is no harm to the human body."

It is reported that the mission will be launched from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island. The launch pad is also being modified, and India has set up a committee composed of external experts to evaluate the entire system.

There are many obstacles and it may take many years to succeed

Although India's first manned space flight mission is in full swing, its success remains unknown and it faces many obstacles.

Pang Zhihao said that there are three major elements necessary for manned space flight: first, a vehicle with strong thrust and extremely high reliability; second, a manned spacecraft that can simulate life on Earth; and third, an understanding of the effects of high-altitude and space flight environments on the human body. "These are extremely challenging for India."

Pang Zhihao explained: "At present, the 'weight' of a general three-cabin manned spacecraft is about 7-8 tons. For example, my country's 'Shenzhou' manned spacecraft weighs 8 tons; Russia's 'Soyuz' manned spacecraft weighs 7 tons, but India's current maximum thrust capacity of low-Earth orbit carrier rocket is only about 5 tons, so India may develop a two-cabin spacecraft; in addition, the requirements for manned carrier rockets in terms of technology and cost are much higher than those for unmanned carrier rockets."

"In addition, manned spacecraft is a brand new spacecraft for India. Compared with unmanned spacecraft, it needs to add many special systems, such as environmental control and life support systems, emergency rescue systems, recovery and landing, etc. It requires a large activity space and good structural sealing performance, involving dozens of disciplines such as physics, medicine and environment. These have very high requirements for science and technology and are relatively expensive."

Pang Zhihao concluded: "Therefore, for India, which has limited economic and technological strength, it is very difficult to successfully achieve manned space flight. It needs international cooperation and the whole country's efforts for many years to have hope."