The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today said the training of astronauts for India's ambitious ' Gaganyaan ' manned space mission will start from the third week of January in Russia. Four astronauts have been identified for the mission, ISRO chief K Sivan said. The work related to Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan was going on simultaneously, he said.

"We had good progress on Gaganyaan in 2019, many of the designs were completed. Four astronauts have been identified for the training purpose. The training for the astronauts who are from the Indian Air Force will be planned in the third week of January which will take place in Russia," said Sivan.

What is Gaganyaan mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Russia will train the Indian astronauts for Gaganyaan mission. Scheduled for 2022, the mission is expected to carry three astronauts, who will be picked from among the test pilots in the Indian armed forces. The chosen three astronauts will be sent to space for seven days onboard Gaganyaan, a crew capsule, to be launched with the help of Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

If Gaganyaan is successful, India would become the fourth nation to achieve the feat.

Watch video | Chandrayaan-3, Gaganyaan: All you need to know about ISRO’S plans for 2020

K Sivan further said that this year is going to be an eventful year for ISRO.

"Just like last year, this year is also going to be an eventful year for ISRO. This year is going to the year of Chandrayan-3 and Gaganyaan. We have planned another satellite for this year i.e. GSAT 20. Many targets have been planned for 2020. For Gaganyan many systems need to be tested before flight. Crew training is another major activity that is going to happen this year," said Sivan.

Sivan further added that ISRO is planning to undertake many major projects, new developments and at the same time launch the satellites required for societal purpose as well.

-With Agency inputs

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