ISRO working on sending Indians to space.

Sriharikota, Jul 12 (PTI) An unmanned test crew module
will be put into orbit by ISRO in 2013 as a prelude to the
country's maiden manned mission to send two Indians into
space.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also said
Monday that a third launch pad, at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore,
is proposed to be built at Sriharikota in eastern India, where
the rocket that will take the Indian astronauts into space
will be assembled and blast off.
ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said the space agency
plans to launch the first test unmanned mission with an
unmanned capsule on PSLV, which will be put into orbit and
recovered soon after the mission.
Talking to reporters here after the successful launch of
remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites
by the PSLV rocket, he said that in the next three months ISRO
will launch GSLV-F06, which will carry a communication
satellite, and PSLV-C16 with a remote sensing satellite on
board.
ISRO has prepared a road map with an initial plan to put
two humans in orbit around Earth, keep them there for seven
days and bring them back safely, Radhakrishnan said.
Radhakrishnan said all new elements for the unmanned
launch have been designed. "We have gone to system concept
reviews. The first level of definitions and specifications
have been drawn up," he said.
"We need to have the orbital vehicle, namely the capsule
and its design and then develop the environmental control and
life support system, which will be followed by crew escape
system that will be very vital in case of mission abort," he
said.
These modules would be evaluated by launch of PSLV
unmanned mission, he said, adding it would give them
confidence, help evaluate the total system for its survival in
the space environment on how the entire system behaves.
To a question on whether ISRO had set a timeframe for the
manned mission, he said, "I don't want to commit the date
unless we start the programme".
Radhakrishnan said scientists would work on the crew
model, which would have an environmental control life support
system.
"We are also working out a very high reliability vehicle,
capable of putting crew module with an adequate number of
persons," he said.
Dattan, Director of SDSC said a proposal has been given
to the government for approval to set up a third launch pad at
a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
"Preliminary design of the third launch pad is now going
on with various experts. Location of the launch pad has also
been finalised taking into account the safety measures," he
said.
"Once approval is obtained, the third launch pad and
other infrastructure activities for the manned moon mission
will come up, costing more than Rs 1,000 crore," he added.
"We also propose to set up one more vertical assembly
building, similar to what we have it now. This would be
capable of assembling existing and forthcoming advance
vehicles," he said.
Dattan said the programme has already been initiated and
would be started once government accords approval. PTI SNR
RBT


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