Gaganyaan Mission: Four Indian cosmonauts restart their training in Russia

The four cosmonauts who have been selected for the Gaganyaan mission have resumed their training in Russia. The training was put on hold as the lockdown was announced after the outbreak of COVID-19. Gaganyaan is India’s first manned space mission.

Roscosmos, Russian Space Corporation released a statement mentioning that on May 12, Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) has resumed the training of four Indian cosmonauts.

The training to the four Indian cosmonauts has been given under the contract between the Human Spaceflight Center of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Glavkosmos, JSC (part of the space corporation Roscosmos).

Roscosmos also tweeted a picture of cosmonaut wearing a spacesuit with an Indian flag and informed that the theoretical classes have begun for the training.

GCTC resumed training of the Indian cosmonauts — https://t.co/Ha4VJOx1lx

🧑‍🚀🇮🇳 Roscosmos specialists are giving theoretical classes on the basics of astrogation, the basics of manned spacecraft control and the Russian language to the Indian cosmonauts pic.twitter.com/KAZeRJFP8M

— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) May 22, 2020

Key Highlights:

•  The space agency informed that all the four Indian cosmonauts have been in good health and are prepared to resume their training.

•  Roscosmos also informed that GCTC has continued to observe the anti-epidemic regulations which entail that hygienic and sanitary measures must be carried out at all the GCTC facilities.

•  Along with the measures, social distancing has been applied and the presence of unauthorized persons has been restricted. It has also been instructed that all the employees and cosmonauts must wear gloves and surgical masks.

•  Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 infection, a lockdown was recommended since the end of March 2020 which was observed by the Indian cosmonauts carefully and completely.

Gaganyaan Mission and training of the cosmonauts:

The ambitious project of Rs. 10,000 crore has been expected to launch in 2022 which will mark the 75^th anniversary of India’s Independence. Currently, there are four Indian Air Force fighter Pilots who are undergoing training in Moscow. They are considered to be the potential candidates for the Gaganyaan Mission.

Roscosmos also informed that GCTC specialists have been providing the theoretical classes to four Indian cosmonauts. The theoretical classes are on the basics of astrogation, the Russian language to the Indian cosmonauts, and the basics of manned spacecraft control.

The contract for the training was signed between the Human Spaceflight Centre of ISRO and Glavkosmos on June 27, 2019. The training of four cosmonauts started in Russia on February 10, 2020.

The officials had also informed that after the training in Russia, the Indian cosmonauts will receive module-specific training in India, where they will be trained in a crew. They will also learn to operate service module designed by ISRO, they will learn to work around it, learn to operate it, and do simulations.