BENGALURU: The

(ISRO), along with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and

(ASI) will be organising a symposium on

programme (HSP) between January 22 and 24, 2020.

The first IAA-ISRO-ASI symposium on HSP will see experts from all over the world gather to discuss and exchange on ‘human spaceflight and Exploration — challenges and future trends’.

The IAA, said in a statement: “Technical sessions will be devoted to several topics like human spaceflight challenges, enabling technologies for human spaceflight, ground systems for human spaceflight, scientific and societal relevance, policy aspects and economics of human spaceflight.”

From crew selection and training to space habitats, and from space robotics to deep space exploration challenges, a variety of issues will be discussed at the conference that comes ahead of Isro’s human spaceflight programme—Gaganyaan—which is expected in 2022.

Isro will, as per current plans, launch an unmanned mission to space and bring it back in 2020. “This will be a preparatory launch before we actually send humans,” K Sivan, chairman, Isro, had told TOI earlier.

Among other topics that will be discussed at the symposium are life support systems technology; hygiene management; enhancing launch vehicle capabilities, safety and reliability; simulation facilities, et al.

Isro, which plans to send at least two, if not three astronauts to space and bring them back safely, has tied up with Russia for advanced training. The space agency, just last month signed an agreement with Glavkosmos—a subsidiary of Roscosmos State Corporation (Russia’s space agency)—for the same.

The crew selection and initial training will be done by the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), under the

(IAF). The TOI has learnt that the first batch of astronauts to be sent as part of Gaganyaaan will all be IAF test pilots.

Also, Isro, in a statement said that Sivan and IAA secretary general Jean Michel Contant inaugurated an ‘IAA Subsidiary Office’ in Bengaluru on Thursday. “This office will handle all the conferences of IAA.