Human Space Flight Centre

Lore & Background

The Human Space Flight Centre was created in the context of India's long-developing human spaceflight capabilities. Before the Gaganyaan mission announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, though most required technologies had been realized. The agency had already performed a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and a Pad Abort Test. The centre oversees the development of the 3.7-ton Gaganyaan spacecraft, which will carry a three-member crew to low Earth orbit and return via splashdown in the Arabian Sea near Gujarat. The first crewed flight is planned for 2024 on a home-grown LVM3 rocket, with uncrewed validation flights preceding it.

Training for astronauts, also called vyomanauts, is a key function of the centre. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced in January 2019 the creation of the centre in Bangalore for training, with a ₹1,000 crore facility. The centre will train selected Indian Air Force pilots in rescue and recovery, zero-gravity operations, and radiation monitoring. As of January 2020, four crews had been selected, with training beginning in the third week of January. An astronaut training facility was operationalized on 24 May 2022 near Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, Karnataka, featuring simulators including virtual reality, dynamic training, and static mock-up modules.

Reader's Guide

The Human Space Flight Centre represents India's formal institutional commitment to independent human spaceflight. If completed on schedule, India will become the world's fourth nation to conduct independent human spaceflight after the Soviet Union/Russia, the United States, and the People's Republic of China. The centre's work is part of an integrated lunar exploration and outer space strategy, with plans for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station programme, future crewed lunar landings, and a moonbase habitat after completing crewed spaceflights. The project cost is less than Rs. 10,000 crore, with the government approving ₹100 billion in December 2018 for a seven-day crewed flight of three astronauts. The centre's significance lies in its role as the coordinating body for all aspects of the Gaganyaan mission—from spacecraft development and human-rating of the LVM3 rocket to astronaut training and infrastructure upgrades. Its establishment marks a shift from technology development to operational human spaceflight capability, building on earlier experiments like the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE) in 2007 and the Pad Abort Test in July 2018. The centre's legacy will be measured by India's ability to join the elite group of nations with independent human spaceflight capability and to pursue subsequent ambitious goals in space exploration.

Did You Know?

• The Human Space Flight Centre was founded by S. Unnikrishnan Nair and is directed by Dinesh Kumar Singh.
• The centre's astronaut training facility near Kempegowda International Airport was operationalized on 24 May 2022.
• India will not use animals for life support systems testing but will use robots resembling humans.
• The Gaganyaan spacecraft will return for a splashdown in the Arabian Sea near the Gujarat coastline.