In a significant stride towards India’s space exploration ambitions, the country is set to launch its first female robot astronaut, ‘Vyommitra,’ on an uncrewed space mission in the third quarter of this year. The announcement was made by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh during an interaction with the media.
Derived from the Sanskrit words ‘Vyoma’ (Space) and ‘Mitra’ (Friend), Vyommitra is designed to simulate human functions in the space environment. The female robot astronaut possesses the capability to monitor module parameters, issue alerts, and execute life support operations. Its functionalities include operating six panels and responding to queries.
The uncrewed Vyommitra mission serves as a precursor to India’s ambitious ‘Gaganyaan’ mission, scheduled for launch in 2025. The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human space capabilities by sending a crew of astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit and safely returning them to Earth by landing in India’s sea waters.
Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted that Vyommitra’s design enables interaction with the life support system, emphasizing its role in advancing space exploration technology. The humanoid robot will undergo testing to ensure its compatibility with the challenging conditions of outer space.
As part of preparations for Gaganyaan, the first Test Vehicle Flight TV D1 was successfully conducted on October 21 last year, focusing on qualifying the crew escape system and parachute system. The human rating of the launch vehicle is complete, with all propulsion stages qualified and preparations in place for the historic manned mission.
Additionally, Dr Jitendra Singh provided an update on Chandrayaan 3, which landed on the South Pole of the Moon on August 23 last year. The mission is progressing according to its normal expected course, and vital inputs from Chandrayaan 3 will be shared in due course.
