Gaganyaan: ISRO to launch India's 1st human space flight mission in 2024

Gaganyaan, India's first crew journey to space, is scheduled for 2024. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister Jitendra Singh stated that the uncrewed 'G1' mission will launch in the fourth quarter of 2023, the second uncrewed 'G2' mission will launch in the second quarter of 2024, and the final human space flight 'H1' mission will launch in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The minister said that individuals for astronaut designation on human space flight missions have been chosen and are undergoing mission-specific training in Bengaluru.

The Rs 10,000 crore project intends to launch a three-person Indian crew into space for five to seven days and safely return them to Earth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi initially mentioned the Gaganyaan mission in his Republic Day speech from the Red Fort in 2018. The year 2022 commemorates the 75th anniversary of India's independence. However, the personnel mission has been postponed owing to a variety of problems.

Two uncrewed launches were scheduled for 40 months from the previous date to display and test significant technology and capabilities.

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Countries are rushing to the cosmos as the next battleground for global dominance, in pursuit of new riches on the Moon and clues of microbial life beyond our solar system. China, although behind the United States and Russia in space exploration, is making steady progress toward its ambitions of building its own space station, recovering samples from asteroids, and trekking across the surface of Mars. Having an Indian crew lead the mission would put India at the centre of this race, which would have a significant impact on the world's altering geopolitical environment.

Aside from the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which satisfies the global demand for satellites in Low Earth Orbit, India has performed low-cost flights to the Moon and Mars.