The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled the Human Space Flight Center (HSFC) in Bengaluru on Wednesday (30 January), the Financial Express reports.

This unveiling comes in the light of the space agency preparing for its first crewed space mission ‘Gaganyaan’.

The human space flight programme which is set to be executed by the end of 2021, is most likely to include a woman astronaut. According to ISRO, Gaganyaan is the “highest priority” for the space agency in 2019.

ISRO, in a run-up to the crewed mission in December 2021, has planned the first and second unmanned mission for December 2020 and July 2021.

The space agency, on its website, said that former ISRO Chairman, K Kasturirangan in the presence of the current ISRO Chairman, K Sivan and the Department of Space’s Secretary inaugurated the HSFC.

The statement adds that directors of other ISRO centres and various other dignitaries also attended the inauguration event which also unveiled a full scale of Gaganyaan crew module.

ISRO said the HSFC in Bengaluru would be responsible for implementing the Gaganyaan project involving end-to-end planning of the mission, developing the engineering systems needed for crew survival in space, selection and training of the crew as well as activities for sustained manned space flight missions.

The HSFC will take required support from other ISRO centres to ensure priority development of Gaganyaan under the human space flight programme. Recently, the union cabinet also approved Rs 9,203 crore for the programme.

The founder director of the centre is S Unnikrishnan Nair, and the project director will be R Hutton.

S Unnikrishnan Nair

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