ISRO selects 4 IAF pilots for manned mission 'Gaganyaan'

New Delhi, Jan 02: India's first-ever manned mission 'Gaganyaan' is to take place by mid-2022, and four pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been selected by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for training, which would commence soon in Russia.

ISRO chief K Sivan earlier had said that 4 astronauts have been selected and that they would be trained from the third week of January. The mission would also have lander and rover.

According to a report by NDTV, the pilots have already undergone medical tests in India and Russia, and will soon receive training. However, the identities of the pilots have not been revealed as of now. But they have been selected as there were completely healthy and fit for the mission.

Reportedly, the design phase of the 'Gaganyaan' is completed.

In 2019, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-2, this mission to the farsight of the moon was India's first attempt to land on the lunar surface. The ISRO had planned the landing on the South Pole of the lunar surface. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed.

ISRO has also planned 13 missions during this fiscal -- six launch vehicle missions and seven satellite missions before March 2020. The Indian space agency will soon be launching radar imaging satellites RISAT-2BR1, RISAT-2BR2.