ISRO ties up with European Space Agency for Gaganyaan missions

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Technical Implementing Plan (TIP) document for Ground Tracking Support for India’s Gaganyaan missions. 

The TIP enables the ESA to provide ground station support for Gaganyaan missions, which will ensure continuity in data flow and communication with the Orbital Module for monitoring and orbital operations.

ISRO said that it has a long-standing system of co-operation with the ESA. They have been collaboratively supporting each other in successful accomplishment of several space missions in the past and are committed to collaboration activities in the future. The signing of the TIP is another step forward in the co-operation between ISRO and ESA.

The TIP was signed by Dr Anil Kumar A. K., Director, ISTRAC, on behalf of ISRO, and by Dietmar Pilz, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality and Director of ESTEC, Netherlands, from ESA, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) on December 4.

The Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.

Under the Gaganyaan programme, ISRO intends to carry out three un-crewed missions and one crewed mission. The first un-crewed mission is scheduled to take place in 2024-25, and the first crewed mission is scheduled in 2025-27.