Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) designed Vyommitra, a woman robot astronaut to fly into space before the Gaganyaan mission, a manned mission to low earth orbit (LEO), said Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Atomic Energy and Space, on Sunday.
The woman robot mission is scheduled for the third quarter of this year (i.e., July, August, September), while the manned mission Gaganyaan is scheduled to be launched in 2025, said Singh. The humanoid robot is designed to stimulate humane function in the space environment and interact with the life support system.
ISRO’s subsidiary Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) was formed with a vision of implementing a sustained and affordable human and robotic programme to explore the Solar system. Vyommitra is also designed to experiment with extended human presence across the solar system, starting with human spaceflight to low earth orbit and return.
The robot’s name is derived from Sanskrit words, Vyoma referring to space and Mitra meaning friend, said Singh. Additionally, the Vyommitra is equipped with the capability to monitor module parameters, issue alerts and execute life support operations, also, it is capable of performing tasks like operating six panels and responding to queries.
The first test vehicle light TV D1 was accomplished on October 21, 2023, qualifying the crew escape system and parachute system, Singh said.
ISRO first revealed the humanoid Vyommitra on January 22, 2020, at the Human Spaceflight and Exploration symposium in Bengaluru.
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