Produced by: Tarun Mishra
India's Union Minister of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, on Sunday announced that Vyommitra, an unmanned female robot astronaut, will precede the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space for the first time.
Derived from Sanskrit words 'Vyoma' (space) and 'Mitra' (friend), Vyommitra embodies its role as a companion in space exploration.
Equipped with monitoring capabilities, alert issuance, and life support operation execution, Vyommitra can manage module parameters, operate panels, and respond to queries.
Designed to mimic human functions in space environments, Vyommitra interacts with life support systems, enhancing adaptability and functionality.
The Vyommitra Mission is slated for the third quarter of the current year, preceding the manned Gaganyaan mission scheduled for 2025.
Following its expected course, the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made a historic landing on the moon's South Pole in August last year, will provide crucial insights soon, with no specific timeline mentioned.
ISRO successfully launched the Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Development Flight Mission-1 test vehicle last year to qualify crew escape and parachute systems, with preparations underway for India's first manned space flight.
The crew escape system, an indigenous development crucial for astronaut safety, safeguards against catastrophic errors during spaceflight, forming a vital component of the Gaganyaan project aiming to orbit three astronauts around Earth for three days.