India will seek Russia's help in provision of training and specialized equipment for its Gaganyaan space mission, Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2018) India will seek Russia's help in provision of training and specialized equipment for its Gaganyaan space mission, Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik.
"We already have a lot of expertise in India on spacecraft, but not so much on manned space missions. That's the area where we will be seeking assistance and support from Russia � largely in terms of training, some specialized equipment � and also they are sharing all experiences of manned space flights," the ambassador said.
He noted that the specialized equipment did not refer to the spacecraft's engines, as they would be made by India.
The Indians are absolutely delighted that during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in October, Moscow assured New Delhi that it would do everything possible to help the first Indian astronaut to go into space in an Indian spacecraft, he noted.
"There has been an Indian astronaut in space before Rakesh Sharma who went on Soviet spacecraft and this is one of the great symbols of friendship between India and Russia over decades," he recalled.
The actual practical cooperation between the two states on Gaganyaan project will begin as early as 2019, the ambassador said.
The agreement with Russia on completing a short training mission by an Indian astronaut at the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to be concluded early next year, he noted.
"There is not much time for training astronauts and other technical cooperation. We expect a lot of activity on Gaganyaan project in 2019," the ambassador concluded.
India has been developing its own space program since 1947, immediately after the country gained independence. The work is conducted under the guidance of the government department of space research. The coordination of activities of various organizations and firms within the national space program, as well as the creation of rocket and space technology is entrusted to the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the country planned to launch its first national manned mission into space before 2022. The spacecraft has already received the name Gaganyaan, which means "Skycraft."
