NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) India's astronaut will spend at least seven days in space during the country's first manned mission, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi said during his Independence Day speech that the government was planning to launch India's first manned spaceflight to space by 2022.
"Our plan is to have a human being in space for seven days and not less than that. He will be in a spacecraft, 300-400 kilometers [about 186-246 miles] above earth," Sivan told the IANS news agency.
The official added that India was planning to use the country's most powerful carrier, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, and launch two unmanned missions before sending an astronaut.
India's first manned spaceflight program will reportedly cost about $1.5 billion. The ISRO successfully tested the crew escape system in emergency simulations last month and is now preparing for the orbital re-entry test scheduled for the next year.
Currently, only three countries, China, Russia and the United States, launch manned space missions.
