Cabinet approves Rs 10,000 crore Gaganyaan project

Months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his government's plan to send Indians to the outer space, the Union cabinet on Friday approved the Gaganyaan Programme with a budget outlay of Rs 10, 000 crore.

Under the approved scheme, three Indians will be sent on a week-long trip to the space to mark country's capabilities in the human space flight, thus ensuring its place among a few countries in the world who have previously done so. 

The government is hurrying to approve the high-ticket projects as the countdown for the 2019 elections have started. By approving the project, the Modi government hopes to earn bragging rights during the election campaign. Sending Indians to outer space will address the aspirational class of the country, and portray a 'New India' that Modi has been talking about.

Before humans are sent to the outer space, two unmanned flights in full complement will be carried out to gain confidence on the technology and mission management aspects.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the mission will be completed within 40 months of all the formal sanctions coming in. 

“A human rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a 3-member crew for the duration of the mission. The necessary infrastructure for crew training, realization of flight systems and ground infrastructure will be established to support the Gaganyaan Programme. ISRO will collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives,” the cabinet note said about the mission.

The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is Rs10,000 crore. This includes the cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements. “Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme,” officials said.

According to the government, the Gaganyaan programme is expected to generate employment and train human resources in advanced technologies. “It will inspire a large number of young students to take up science and technology careers for national development,” officials said.

The government will be turning the Gaganyaan Programme into a national effort to hunt for the three eligible crew members, apart from ensuring the participation of the industry, academia and national agencies.

In terms of collaboration, the ISRO will be responsible for realizing the flight hardware through industry. National agencies, laboratories and academia will participate in crew training, human life science technology development initiatives as well as design reviews.

In terms of the impact of the programme, the government says it will spur research in niche science and technology domains. “There are huge potential for technology spinoffs in areas such as medicine, agriculture, industrial safety, pollution, waste management, water and food resource management. The human spaceflight programme will provide a unique micro-gravity platform in space for conducting experiments and test bed for future technologies,” the cabinet note added.