Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced important news about Gaganyaan Mission, India’s first space mission involving humans, on August 26. He said that the mission trial would begin in October. He also revealed that “Vyommitra,” a humanoid robot dressed like a woman, will be launched in the second phase of the project.
Key Facts About Vyommitra?
- In January 2020, a female robot named Vyommitra was presented for the first time at an event titled “Human Spaceflight and Exploration — Present Challenges and Future Trends”.
- Vyommitra is a half-humanoid robot created for the Gaganyaan mission, and its name combines two Sanskrit words: Vyoma meaning ‘Space’, and Mitra, meaning ‘Friend’. Despite not having legs, Vyommitra has the ability to bend sideways and forward.
- The AI-empowered robot, designed and assembled by the Isro Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), is built to withstand the intense stress and vibrations during rocket flight.
- It not only has the ability to communicate and visually perceive its surroundings, but also can mimic human facial expressions.
- The IISU special teams, who are responsible for creating navigational systems for Isro’s launch vehicles, have spent several months developing the humanoid, Vyommitra. In addition to this, a digital twin of Vyommitra will be created through a partnership with academic establishments like the IITs.
- Vyommitra is a robot going with astronauts on both manned and unmanned missions, like the Gaganyaan mission. Her job is to do certain tasks and watch how astronauts might act. She will copy all the actions astronauts need to do and even respond in two languages.
- She will keep an eye on the parameters of the module, give warnings, handle life support procedures, and do jobs like working the switch panels. She will also mimic other human actions in space during the uncrewed flight.
What Is Gaganyaan Mission?
- During his 2019 Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Gaganyaan project, an ambitious endeavor aimed at sending Indian astronauts into space. Previously, Indian Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had ventured into space as a cosmonaut aboard a Russian spacecraft.
- In contrast, the Gaganyaan project will launch a three-person crew into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day mission before safely returning them to Earth. Upon re-entry, the team will touch down in the Indian Ocean waters. This remarkable initiative marks a significant milestone for India’s space exploration aspirations.
- The mission’s aim is to create important technologies such as safe human-rated rockets for space travel, a system that mimics Earth’s life-supporting conditions, and a backup escape plan, among others.
- Isro claims that the safety and reliability of all systems will be proven by pre-human missions. When Gaganyaan’s mission is successful, India will become the fourth country to send humans into space.
- The Gaganyaan programme has made another advancement with the completion and receipt of the second crew module sub-assembly, which is intended for unmanned missions. The construction of the facility for preparing the orbital module is finished too.
- The facility now has permission to start the integration activities for the test vehicle mission. Meanwhile, work to expand the Gaganyaan launchpad is in progress.
Human Rated LVM3 – HLVM3
- The LVM3 rocket, a reliable heavy-lift launcher from ISRO, has been selected for the Gaganyaan mission. This rocket has been upgraded to meet human rating requirements, now known as Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3).
- The HLVM3 is equipped with a solid stage, liquid stage, and cryogenic stage. It has the capacity to send the Orbital Module to a Low Earth Orbit of 400 km.
- One significant feature of the HLVM3 is the Crew Escape System (CES). This system uses quick-acting, high burn rate solid motors. It’s designed to secure the Crew Module and crew members by moving them to a safe distance during any emergency, either at the launch pad or in the ascent phase.