The Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO had launched the SRE-1 by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) on January 10 along with Cartosat-2 from Sriharikota. The SRE-1, 550 kg of weight, was designed to test the re-entry vehicle technology that was necessary to plan any manned space mission for what India is thinking now.
Later, the Space Capsule Recovery Equipment SRE-1 had returned to earth after orbiting for 11 days in space. That was a great success for the plan to advance a manned mission in space.
The SRE was projected to test reusable thermal protection system, navigation, guidance and control, hypersonic aero-dynamics, management of communication blackout, deceleration and flotation system and recovery experiments.
The safe return of the SRE-1 could be an antecedent to a manned space mission, the success of Chandrayaan.
Later, the moon mission could also create the way to go for a mission on Mars also. ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said that the future plans for ISRO missions may take lesser time than anticipated.
He said further that Chandrayan is scheduled to be launched in March 2008 and the mission to Mars is projected for 2012. These projects would be helpful to assess the atmospheric and surface conditions of moon and Mars.
S. Krishnamurthy, Director of the Public Relations Department, ISRO said further that, ISRO has planned to submit the proposal for the manned mission by the end of this year. After getting clearance, the mission may be undertaken in coming 8-10 years.
According to him, the proposed manned mission will have the orbit duration of seven days. The spacecraft will possibly has the space for one or two astronauts and the spacecraft would be placed at an orbit height of 400 km.
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