ISRO Human Space Flight Program (HSP)

As a natural progression of its endeavors, ISRO has decided to start a Human Space flight program. It has been decided that the entire program will be split into following three different phases:

• First phase: design, development and performance demonstration of critical technologies leading to manned space missions. 
• Second phase and third phase would establish the necessary infrastructure, do qualification tests including flight testing with test vehicles, PSLV, GSLV and GSLV Mk III and finally demonstrate the first Indian Human Spaceflight.

In the first phase, during the 12th plan period (2012-2018), ISRO has proposed to develop and demonstrate all the major technologies and infrastructure critical for Human Spaceflight Program (HSP) including pad abort test, Orbital Vehicle (OV), Crew Escape System (CES), Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) & Flight Suit, Human rating of Launch Vehicle (LVM3) and realizing essential facilities including third launch pad for the development and flight testing of these systems. Mission and configuration studies and technical developmental activities will also be initiated for the Human Lunar Missions.

The first major-milestone activity is “pad abort test” that is planned to demonstrate the performance of crew escape system (CES). This test will play a vital role in establishing the critical

abort maneuver of the CES which has to take the crew module (CM) to an altitude of about 2 km and range of about 2 km from the launch pad. The objectives of this pad abort test are:

• Verify the performance / functioning of various motors / systems of CES.
• Verify the capability of CES to take CM to the required altitude (~ 2 km) & range (~ 2 km).
• Demonstrate the deceleration & floatation capability of parachute and Crew Module.
• Validate the crew module recovery from sea.

Work on the Orbital vehicle is progressing well. ISRO has built an  ergonomic model of crew module for study and is conducting plasma wind tunnel tests on scaled crew module models. ISRO has decided to convert the PSLV PS4 (4th stage) into a service module for the OV. 

Ergonomic model of ISRO crew module.

For meeting the requirements of HSP, human rating of GSLV MK III or LVM3 will also be initiated in the 12th plan period. The work will involve the following:

• Redesign of vehicle structures including propellant tanks and motor cases if necessary.
• Re-qualification tests including stage functional tests of S200, L110 and C25. 
• Intelligent systems to monitor and identify the imminent failure of systems are to be developed. 
• Redundancy schemes in all the avionics, control systems, pyro systems and mechanisms are to be re-looked and re-qualified. 
• Additional facilities for structural test are to be developed for conducting these tests.

Artist concept of manned LVM3.