The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 22, 2020 unveiled its first ‘woman’ astronaut Vyom Mitra to an international gathering in Begaluru.
- The humanoid will simulate the human functions required for space before real astronauts take off before August 2022.
- ISRO will send the human-resembling model in a space capsule Gaganyaan by 2020-end or early 2021 to study how she — and later real astronauts — respond to living outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.
- It is the half-humanoid which means it has no legs.
- Two trial flights without crew will take place with a humanoid — the first around December 2020 and the second around July 2021.
Background
- Prime Minister during his Independence Day address had announced `Gaganyaan — India’s maiden human spaceflight programme’. He had declared that ‘a son or a daughter of India will go to Space from Indian soil by an Indian vehicle by 2022 (75th year of Indian independence) or sooner’.
- This is the most ambitious space programme undertaken by ISRO till date and is essential as it will give a big boost to the Science and Technology development within the country, said Dr Sivan. This will also inspire the youth of the country to take up bigger challenges and enhance the prestige of the country.
