Female Robot 'Vyommitra' to be launched before Isro's 'Gaganyaan' mission

Woman Robot Astronaut 'Vyommitra' will fly into space ahead of ISRO's ambitious 'Gaganyaan' mission, which will be India's first human-manned space flight carrying Indian astronauts into space.

Disclosing this in New Delhi during an interaction with the media, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology and Space, Jitendra Singh, said, "The uncrewed "Vyommitra" mission is scheduled for the third quarter of this year while a manned mission "Gaganyaan" is scheduled to be launched next year, that is 2025."

"Vyommitra is a name derived from two Sanskrit words, namely, "Vyoma" (meaning space) and "Mitra" (meaning friend). This female robot astronaut, said the minister, is equipped with the capability to monitor module parameters, issue alerts, and execute life support operations. It can perform tasks such as operating six panels and responding to queries," he explained.

 

Jitendra Singh further elaborated that the 'Vyommitra' astronaut is designed in such a manner as to simulate human functions in the space environment and interact with the life support system.

It is pertinent to mention that, in the run-up to the launch of India's first-ever manned space flight named 'Gaganyaan', the first Test Vehicle Flight TV D1 was accomplished on October 21 last year. This was meant to qualify the crew escape system and parachute system.The human rating of the launch vehicle is complete. All the propulsion stages are qualified. All the preparations are in place, Singh said.

While the uncrewed unmanned robot flight 'Vyommitra' will take place this year, 'Gaganyaan' will be launched next year, he said.

The Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human space capabilities by launching a crew of astronauts into an orbit of 400 kilometres and then bringing these astronauts safely back to earth by landing them in India's sea waters.