India's Gaganyaan Astronaut Program to Include Civilians for First Time

BENGALURU: India's astronaut cadre is expected to open to civilians for the first time, marking a shift in how Isro is preparing for the future of human spaceflight beyond the first few Gaganyaan missions. Isro's committee on astronaut selection and management, after deliberation, has recommended that the second batch of Indian astronauts include four civilian specialists from STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) backgrounds alongside six mission pilots from military aviation background. The first batch of four astronauts, all Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots, was selected when the focus was squarely on flying the country's first crewed missions safely. "While those from the first batch — Air Commodore Prashanth B Nair, Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla, Gp Capt Ajit Krishnan, Gp Capt Angad Prathap — were all fighter plane pilots turned test pilots, the second batch is expected to also include combat helicopter pilots from IAF," a source told TOI. The move to include civilians signals that Isro is beginning to look past proving the basic technologies for human spaceflight and towards building a sustained astronaut cadre for regular missions, scientific work in orbit and, eventually, India's planned space station. "Though the proposed second batch will have four civilians they would begin joining mission crews only from the fourth crewed Gaganyaan mission, according to the committee's planning," another source said. The decision to fly civilians only from the fourth human spaceflight mission is on expected lines given that worldover, countries have chosen astronauts with military backgrounds until the technology is mature enough to send civilians. Expanding India's astronaut cadre Inclusion of civilians is tied to a growing mission tempo. The planning assumptions envisage two crewed missions a year, with astronauts potentially flying again after a two-year gap following return from a mission. A full astronaut turnaround cycle — selection, training and mission preparation — is estimated at 4.5 years. The committee has estimated that seven astronauts would initially suffice for operational needs in the second batch, but raised the number to 10 after accounting for possible international mission opportunities and attrition.10 Of 12 In 3rd Batch Another major shift is planned from the seventh crewed mission, when crew size is proposed to rise from two astronauts to three, enabled by augmentation of the Gaganyaan crew module's capacity. That expansion is linked to longer-term plans for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, where scientific utilisation is expected to require a larger and more diverse astronaut pool. For a third batch, the committee has estimated a need for 12 astronauts, and in this pool, the ratio of astronauts with military backgrounds and civilians is expected to change drastically. "The committee has recommended two mission pilots and 10 specialists," the first source said.Total Pool Of 40 In all, the committee has proposed an astronaut cadre strength of up to 40, arguing that long-term uncertainties and evolving global opportunities warrant a larger margin in planning. The readiness of the second batch has been targeted in 72 months, with the third batch by 96 months. While the selection process and creation of an astronaut cadre is on expected lines given India's plans for a sustained human presence in space, the space agency is lagging in related infrastructure and technology development. Isro currently only operates a temporary astronaut training centre and is yet to begin the process to set up a full-fledged facility. In terms of technology, even for the first uncrewed mission, Isro is lagging in several aspects, the most crucial being ECLSS (environment control and life support systems) without which no astronaut can venture into space.