Waiting for launch of Gaganyaan mission? Here's the BIG update for you

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has announced that India’s Gaganyaan mission, which currently stands delayed, will most likely be launched at the end of 2022 or the start of 2023. Originally, the mission was supposed to be launched by mid-August in 2022.

According to an announcement made by PM Modi back in 2018, the Gaganyaan mission was supposed to be launched in 2022. The mission stands delayed due to the setbacks caused by the COVID pandemic, and now will most likely be launched by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

Talking about the Gaganyaan mission, the union minister said that the government had planned the launch around the 75th anniversary of India's Independence but COVID caused an inevitable delay. He further said that the government will most likely be able to launch this mission by the end of next year.

Minister of State in the Department of Space Jitendra Singh made the announcement regarding the launch of Gaganyaan while addressing a webinar on ‘Future of India-Oceania Space Technology Partnerships’ organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

The minister also said that space technology has a role to play in every sector, and brainstorming exercises with space scientists and government officials during the 2015-16 period helped them understand the usage of space technology in every sector.

Several experiments from academic institutions have been shortlisted for the Gaganyaan programme, which includes four biological and two physical science-related microgravity experiments. Jitendra Singh also said stressed the importance of reaching out to startups and industry players working in the field of space.

A few days back, the Australia Space Agency had announced that the country will be supporting India during the Gaganyaan mission by tracking it through Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The main objective of Gaganyaan is to launch a manned mission in the Lower Earth Orbit.

Source : DNA India