Ground test of L-110 liquid propulsion engine for GSLV-Mk III. Photo Credit: ISROApril 25, 2008 - ISRO has submitted a project report to the GOI that envisages the start of manned space exploration by India from the year 2015.
"We are basically targeting a seven-year period, planning to launch the mission in 2015 for which there is good clarity on the roadmap such as the technologies required, the estimated Rs.10,0000-million for the mission, the agencies who would be participating and so on," says G.Madhavan Nair, chairman of ISRO.
A 4-tonne class Indian manned capsule is proposed to be developed. It will be launched atop the Mk III version of the GSLV, which is under development. The 629-tonne GSLV Mk III will be able to launch a 10-tonne payload into a near earth orbit. It will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota Island.
India has most of the technologies for a manned space in place. The ability to safely recover an orbiting spacecraft was demonstrated with The Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) on January 22, 2007.
We still need to work on Life support and crew escape system. ISRO is already cooperating with IAF's Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) at Bangalore to develop the life support system.
India is seeking co-operation with competent foreign space agencies, but Nair denies that India is holding discussions with Russia to send an Indian cosmonaut into space, or train one for the manned mission.
Work on the manned mission is likely to start this year. The current year's budget for ISRO was hiked by 25 per cent to accommodate the program.
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