ISRO
AND ASA’S GANGANYAAN: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NEWS: ISRO
signs Implementation Agreement with Australian Space Agency for Gaganyaan
mission
WHAT’S
IN THE NEWS?
ISRO and the Australian Space Agency (ASA) signed an Implementation
Agreement to collaborate on search and rescue operations and crew module
recovery for the Gaganyaan mission, enhancing contingency planning near
Australian waters. The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate human
spaceflight capability through three un-crewed missions and one crewed mission
by 2027.
Implementation
Agreement Between ISRO and Australian Space Agency (ASA)
Objective
of the Agreement
·
To
strengthen cooperation between India and Australia in space activities.
·
To
support the Gaganyaan programme by enabling collaboration on:
·
Search
and rescue of crew members.
·
Recovery
of the crew module in case of contingencies near Australian waters during the
ascent phase.
Details
of the Agreement
·
Signatories:
·
ISRO:
Represented by D.K. Singh, Director, Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC),
Bengaluru.
·
ASA:
Represented by Jarrod Powell, General Manager, Space Capability Branch,
Canberra.
·
Signed on
November 20, 2024.
Significance
of the Collaboration
Overview
of the Gaganyaan Programme
Objective:
·
To
demonstrate human spaceflight capability in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) using
an Indian-designed Crew Module.
·
Accommodates
up to three crew members for a mission lasting up to three days.
·
Ensures
safe recovery of the crew and module post-mission.
Mission
Breakdown:
·
Three Un-crewed Missions: Focused on testing technologies and systems, the
first mission is planned for 2024-25.
·
One Crewed Mission: Scheduled for 2025-27, marking India’s entry into human space
exploration.
India-Australia
Space Cooperation