Now common man will also travel to space, ISRO is going to start recruitment of civilian astronauts

New Delhi. Till now, the only important condition for becoming an astronaut in India was to be a ‘Military Test Pilot’, but now this rule may change very soon. According to a recent report, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning to include common citizens in its future astronaut batch.

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Although there has been no official announcement yet, early indications suggest that something big is going to happen soon. So far only test pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been selected for the first batch of Gaganyaan Mission. The reason for this was that initially security and system checking were most important.

But now ISRO’s selection committee has recommended that the next batch should be a ‘mixed’ one. According to the report, about 6 mission pilots (with military background) and 4 civilian specialists (with STEM background) can be included in this new batch. This simply means that scientists, engineers and technical experts will also be able to be a part of India’s Human Spaceflight Mission in the future.

Who will be able to apply?

Obviously this opportunity will not be for everyone, but it will require very special abilities. ISRO will mainly give preference to those candidates who have a strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) background, that is, people who are experts in engineering, scientific research or any particular technical field.

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The role of these civilian astronauts will not be limited only to the journey of the spacecraft, rather their main work will be to go to space and conduct complex scientific experiments and handle the advanced systems there. Along with this, ISRO is also planning to expand its military quota. With this, the path to space will become easier not only for fighter pilots but also for combat helicopter pilots.

After all, why was this big change needed?

If this plan becomes a reality then it will prove to be a huge change for ISRO. In fact, ISRO’s goal is no longer just to achieve success by sending humans into space once, but it is working on much bigger and more ambitious goals for the future. These include conducting regular human flights into space, conducting in-depth scientific research in low Earth orbit and most importantly – building India’s own space station, the ‘Indian Space Station’ (BAS).

To realize these big dreams, a large and skilled astronaut team will be required. According to the report, ISRO is preparing for a future where at least two missions can be sent in a year and the number of crew can be increased from 2 to 3 astronauts. To meet this need, there is a plan to increase the total pool of astronauts to 40 people.

Will common people be able to fly into space immediately?

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The direct answer is- no. Even if the selection of civilians starts soon in future, they will not be a part of the initial missions. As per the current plan, the first flight of civilian astronauts is expected to begin with the fourth crewed Gaganyaan mission. Although this scheme is very exciting, many challenges and technical work still remain before it. For example, ISRO has yet to build a full-fledged advanced astronaut training facility. Despite all the challenges, the best thing is that now the dream of ‘becoming an astronaut’ in India will no longer be limited to a particular background or just the military. This is like opening new doors of space for the country’s scientists and engineers.

NASA and civilian missions, what is the trend in the world?

If we look at the global level, the American space agency NASA has long ago started making common citizens a part of space missions. In this regard, the name of Neil Armstrong comes at the top, who is considered to be the first ‘civilian’ sent into space on 16 March 1966. However, it is worth noting that before becoming an astronaut, he had been a Navy pilot.

Whereas, if we talk purely about a common citizen or a ‘space tourist’, then American businessman and engineer Dennis Tito had created history in the year 2001. He became the world’s first space tourist to travel to space. Before him, space travel was limited only to military pilots or people associated with the government space program. Now India’s ISRO is also taking its steps on the same modern path, where not only the uniform but also the passion for science and technology will be enough to reach the heights of the sky.