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ISRO chief S Somnath on Saturday said four astronauts have been selected for the country's first manned space programme - Gaganyaan - and the selected astronauts are ready for the mission and awaiting the flight. Under the Gaganyaan mission, ISRO plans to send four astronauts into space for a period of three days and bring them back safely.
Speaking about the Gaganyaan mission while addressing the students at the 11th convocation of Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU), Somnath, as quoted by ANI, said, “For the first mission we have selected four of them, and it is our endeavour to send them at least by 2025 to space and bring them back safely. Bringing them back safely is a very important element of this mission,”
The veteran scientist said that a lot of technology has to be developed in the coming days to make the dream of Gaganyaan a reality and ISRO is working day and night to make it happen.
Talking about the astronauts for the Gaganyaan mission, Somnath said, “In the coming days we will see multiple missions without man, and then ultimately the launch of an Indian into space. The astronauts are already ready. They are waiting for the flight to happen. This is one of the important missions that we are looking at,”
Somnath noted that India is now a world leader in space technology, although investment in the sector remains modest. He noted that the country has been able to build its own spacecraft and launch vehicles and achieve its goals despite budgetary constraints. The veteran scientist also spoke about the success of India's ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission, which helped the country join an elite list of countries like the US, the former Soviet Union and China to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.
Speaking about Chandrayaan-3's success, Somnath said, “The energy created out of Chandrayaan-3 landing enables us to dream big today. None of our dreams can be small. With every incremental success that we make, our dreams grow bigger and bigger, and it has to be achieved. And it can only be done by young people who are coming into this sector,”
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