As India gears up for the first manned mission to space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday unveiled the female humanoid to be placed in the unmanned spacecraft under the Gaganyaan project.
The humanoid, named Vyommitra, will go into space before the manned Gaganyaan mission.
The robot was unveiled by the ISRO in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The humanoid does not have legs, though it can bend forward and sideways. It will simulate most of the human body functions and report back to the ground mission of ISRO.
“It will try to simulate a human and report back to us. We are doing this as an experiment,” ISRO scientist Sam Dayal said.
Vyommitra can recognise humans and answer questions as well as carry out some experiments, ISRI said, adding that it can also converse with astronauts.
The robot is also capable of monitoring biological parameters and operating switch panels and life-support activities.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan has said two test space missions have been planned before three Indian astronauts are sent into space.
The first unnamed mission will be carried out by December this year while the manned space mission is planned before August 15, 2022 when India celebrated 75 years of Independence.
The second unmanned mission has been planned for June next year.
The training of four Gaganyaan astronauts will start in January 2020 in Russia, ISRO had said earlier. Four astronauts have been identified for the mission and will receive training for 11 months.
All the four astronauts selected for the mission are men but their identity cannot be revealed, the Department of Space has said.
As per the ISRO sources, India’s heaviest launch vehicle “Bahubali” GSLV Mark-III will the carry astronauts to space.
Rs 10,000 crores has already been sanctioned by the Union Cabinet for the Gaganyaan project.
The announcement for the Gaganyaan project was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence day speech on August 15, 2018. After this manned mission, India will become the 4th country after Russia, US and China to send humans in space.
The Gaganyaan launch will coincide with the 75th year of India’s Independence.
“Gaganyaan will be the first-ever human space mission conceived and developed in India, as a distinct illustration of the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” vision,” the Department of Space had said.
Source: dnaindia.com