MUMBAI (Reuters) – India successfully completed a critical test in its ambitious crewed space mission Gaganyaan on Saturday, after a temporary delay, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
ISRO announced on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter), “The issue causing the launch delay has been identified and rectified. The Crew Escape System performed as intended. Mission Gaganyaan begins on a positive note.”
The agency did not provide details of the reason behind the delay.
Initially scheduled for 8 a.m. (0230 GMT), the launch faced initial obstacles but was ultimately successful at 10 a.m., confirmed ISRO.
The primary objective of the Gaganyaan mission is to develop a habitable space capsule capable of carrying a three-member crew into a 400 km (250 miles) orbit for a duration of three days, before safely returning to the Indian Ocean.
Once Gaganyaan is completed, ISRO intends to explore possibilities for a continuous human presence in space.
The mission has been allocated approximately 90 billion Indian rupees ($1 billion) and follows ISRO’s historic landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the lunar south pole.
While the Gaganyaan mission is expected to launch from the main spaceport in Sriharikota before 2024, no specific timeline has been announced.
($1 = 83.1500 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Siddhi Nayak; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard)
