Human Space Flight Centre

Background

The Human Space Flight Centre was created in the context of India's long-developing human spaceflight capabilities. Before the Gaganyaan mission announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, though most required technologies had been realized.

The agency had already performed a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and a Pad Abort Test. The centre oversees the development of the 3.7-ton Gaganyaan spacecraft, which will carry a three-member crew to low Earth orbit and return via splashdown in the Arabian Sea near Gujarat. The first crewed flight is planned for 2024 on a home-grown LVM3 rocket, with uncrewed validation flights preceding it.

Training for astronauts, also called vyomanauts, is a key function of the centre. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced in January 2019 the creation of the centre in Bangalore for training, with a ₹1,000 crore facility.

The centre will train selected Indian Air Force pilots in rescue and recovery, zero-gravity operations, and radiation monitoring. As of January 2020, four crews had been selected, with training beginning in the third week of January. An astronaut training facility was operationalized on 24 May 2022 near Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, Karnataka, featuring simulators including virtual reality, dynamic training, and static mock-up modules.