Gaganyaan gets government’s approval

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved the Gaganyaan project — India’s maiden human spaceflight programme under which a three-member team will be sent into space for at least seven days — Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.

Briefing mediapersons about Cabinet decisions, which were taken in its meeting held on late Thursday evening, Mr Prasad said that the project will cost Rs 10,000 crore.

The Gaganyaan project was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. He had said the mission will be undertaken by 2022.

India has already inked agreements with Russia and France for assistance in the ambitious project.

The necessary infrastructure for crew training, realisation of flight systems and ground infrastructure will be established to support the Gaganyaan Programme, official sources said.

Isro will collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives.