Indian astronauts may be headed to ISS in 2024 under India-US joint mission

The joint statement by India and the US said that NASA would provide "advanced training" to Indian astronauts who are currently undergoing training in Russia for Gaganyaan mission

Indian astronauts who have been training for Gaganyaan mission may travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on a joint India-US mission in 2024.

The recently-announced joint India-US mission may give the Indian astronauts — who have been training for their trip for the last three years — an opportunity to go to the ISS before their Gaganyaan mission, the country’s first human spaceflight mission, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The joint statement by India and the US during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing state visit said that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) would provide “advanced training” to Indian astronauts at one of its facilities.

 

The joint statement said, “The leaders (Modi and US President Joe Biden) hailed the announcement by Nasa to provide advanced training to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.”

According to the joint statement, it appears that the mission to the ISS is not a one-off project. It stated that Nasa and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) would develop “a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation” by the end of this year, according to The Indian Express report.

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The statement also talks about “enhanced commercial collaboration” between the private sector operating in the space economy of the two countries, and the need to “address export controls and facilitate technology transfer”.

The four selected astronauts, whose identities have not been revealed, have been training in Russia since early 2020.

Gaganyaan, originally meant to be launched in 2022, has seen its schedule getting postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

S Somanath, chairman, Isro, hinted that the mission could be pushed back further from its 2024 schedule.

Somanath said, “There are eight major tests (remaining to be carried out) and if all eight major tests happen successfully without any major glitch, then the launch could be happening in a 2024 timeframe. But if I face problems and challenges, which is natural in this process, then I have to discount the schedule.”

He said that the main objective of the mission was to ensure that the astronauts return safely to earth, and that the Isro would not “rush” with the mission.