ISRO launches Massive Human Space Flight Centre in Challakere, Karnataka

On January 6, 2020, the ISRO proposed 2,700 crores of infrastructure plan to construct Human Space Flight Infrastructure Centre. The facility is to be set up at Challakere, Chitradurga district of Karnataka and is expected to become operational in three years.

Highlights

The Centre is to be located in the NH-4 Bengaluru-Pune Highway. ISRO aims to establish a self-contained training facility here. At present, astronauts part of Gaganyaan Mission, the Human Spaceflight Programme of ISRO are trained in Russia. The centre aims at bringing in all the features that are provided by Russia and begin training astronauts within the country.

Also, the centre aims to integrate the works of Human Spaceflight Programme that are currently spread across various centres such as UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and Institute of Aerospace Medicine of Air Force.

If successful in the Gaganyaan mission, India will become the fourth country after US, Russia and China to send humans to space. In order to achieve this, India is also working on preparing ready to eat foods at DFRL (Defence Food Research Laboratory).

Challakere-The Science City

The city is located at 400 km from Bengaluru. It is called the science city as it accommodated facilities of ISRO. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, DRDO’s Advanced Aeronautical Test Range and Indian institute of Science.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2020