ISRO Achieves Significant Milestone For Gaganyaan Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it has reached a significant milestone in the Gaganyaan Programme, with the first solid motor segment moved from the production plant to the launch complex.

The space agency said, "India's human spaceflight dreams are taking shape!"

In a post on the social media platform X, ISRO stated, "A significant milestone for the Gaganyaan Programme! The first solid motor segment has been moved from the production plant to the launch complex, marking a key step towards the HLVM3 G1 flight."

In September, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that efforts were underway to launch India's first human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, by the end of this year.

"Gaganyaan is ready for launch; we are trying to launch it by the end of this year," Somanath had said.

The Gaganyaan Programme, approved in December 2018, envisages human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the establishment of technologies required for a long-term Indian human space exploration endeavour.

On 18 September, the Cabinet approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission to the Moon. This mission aims to develop and demonstrate technologies to return to Earth after a successful lunar landing, as well as collect and analyse Moon samples on Earth.

The Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve foundational technologies and capabilities needed for an eventual Indian landing on the Moon (planned by 2040) and a safe return to Earth. Key technologies for docking, undocking, landing, safe return, and lunar sample collection and analysis will be demonstrated.

The central government's expanded vision for the Indian space programme during the Amrit Kaal includes an Indian Space Station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) by 2035 and an Indian landing on the Moon by 2040.

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