On Wednesday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated that India’s “Gaganyaan” space project to the space is likely to be launched by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023.
The mission, which was initially slated to launch by 2022, was postponed owing to a coronavirus epidemic in the United States. This mission’s goal is to launch a human spacecraft into the Lower Earth Orbit.
“We had the opportunity to actually accomplish this” (launched Gaganyaan by 2022). We had hoped to arrange it to coincide with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, but that was not possible because of the inevitability of the delay created by Covid-19. “But I am certain that we will be able to do so by the end of next year or (at the very least) by the beginning of 2023,” he added.
Singh, the Minister of State in the Department of Space, was speaking at a webinar on the topic of “Future of India-Oceania Space Technology Partnerships,” which was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in this location.
He went on to say that a brainstorming session conducted by space experts and government officials in 2015-16 assisted them in understanding where space technology might be applied to benefit humanity. The president argued that space technology had a role to play in nearly every industry.
The minister stated that space technology has proven to be quite useful in the field of crisis management, and that space medicine has also proven to be highly relevant in the effort to send three Indians into space.
A total of four biological and two physical science-related microgravity experiments from academic institutions have been shortlisted for the Gaganyaan program’s unmanned mission, according to the government.
Singh also emphasized the necessity of reaching out to start-ups and industry players that are involved in the space sector to foster collaboration.
When asked about India’s engagement with oceanic nations in the domain of space, he stated that the country has a “comfort level” with these countries, which makes it easier to cooperate with them on space projects.
According to the Ministry of Space, “Oceanic nations such as New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Island governments may engage (with India) and work on collaborative space technology solutions and creative products,” as well as “cooperative research and development.”
According to Anthony Murfett, Deputy Head of the Australia Space Agency, Australia would be assisting India’s Gaganyaan mission by tracking it through the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This was announced earlier this week. The Mars Orbiter Mission ‘Mangalyaan’, operated by India, was tracked all the way from Fiji.
