'I foresee an Indian Elon Musk in 10 years, or less'

Last month, GoI approved the formation of the board for IN-SPACe, a single-window nodal agency that is mandated to help propel the country’s space sector into its next phase. Of course at present a lot of anticipation is tied to Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission. Isro chairman K Sivan and S Unnikrishnan Nair, director, Isro Human Space Flight Centre, spoke to TOI about preparations for the mission: medium86969858 What does Gaganyaan represent for India? Sivan: Gaganyaan has a multifold objective. First and foremost is to demonstrate India’s capability to send humans to space and bring them back safely. There are many technological developments needed for Gaganyaan, which will allow India to gain knowledge of such technologies. Launching satellites itself is a very complex job, and putting humans in space is even more complex, needing several advanced technologies. These will provide spinoffs for the private sector for commercial use. As it was envisaged, this programme is not related to Isro alone, there are a lot of organisations that are involved. And there are international collaborations which add to our diplomacy efforts too. In the next decade or two, permanent presence of humans in space will become a necessity. We have to prepare ourselves for that eventuality. Once we are able to demonstrate this, we will be able to collaborate with foreign agencies at the same level. What are the major systems developed for Gaganyaan? Unni: The first major technology is the human rating of the launch vehicle – the GSLV-Mk3. Most activities have been completed and the testing phase is progressing where we are checking for the robustness of systems. We’ll also need an integrated vehicle health management system which can assess the vital performances and parameters efficiently. It should only abort after taking complete stock of parameters accurately. Then there’s the crew escape system, which has also entered the testing phase. The main system is the crew module which has a twin-walled structure that has to go into space, survive the pressure there, withstand the rigours of re-entry and splash down. This is also in the realisation phase. The crew module, along with the service module, will form the orbital module. Then we need the environmental control and life support system that mimics the Earth atmosphere, which comprises thermal control system, cabin air revitalisation system, pressure control systems etc, all of which have completed the design phase and some systems are undergoing testing. How will both Gaganyaan and the opening up of the space sector help India grow? Sivan: When we speak of Gaganyaan, there are a lot of new technologies being developed that will eventually help in the permanent presence of humans in space. Our announcement of opportunities for the human space programme has seen a tremendous response. I believe we have opened up the sector at the right time. The industry will not only be involved in production but also develop advanced technologies for future programmes. Once they have this, I’m sure that at some point, they would be able to launch humans by themselves. That day is not too far. Maybe 10 years from now, I won’t be surprised if I see Indian industry involved in human space programmes like Elon Musk. Unni: If you look at other countries many commercial players are already involved and I hope our industry will also cash in on this, especially when we speak of space tourism, which need not involve crew actually staying in or orbiting. Space tourism is just crossing the Karman Line, experiencing zero gravity and returning. The industry is already developing some complex systems that are in the testing phase. Speaking of prolonged human presence in space, what’s the status of the proposed space station? Sivan: Isro always works in advance. We begin working on technologies and systems before going into project mode, which is only done after we’ve achieved the required level of maturity. We did the same with Gaganyaan. For the space station, work is going on in the background, including on technologies for space docking. Some of it will be tested in the coming years. Once we attain the maturity needed, we’ll get into project mode.