Astronauts undergoing training at the Cosmonaut training centre at Star City, Russia

ISRO is currently forming the new project team and management structure for the Human Space Program (HSP)

BANGALORE: Crew members for Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) first human space flight programme, Gaganyaan, will be selected by the Indian Air Force (IAF), said K Sivan, ISRO chairman, here on Wednesday. “ISRO will send whoever is selected by IAF. The selection will be based on certain criteria,” he said, responding to previous differences between ISRO and IAF on selection on astronauts.

While six people will be shortlisted finally after rigorous training, three people will fly to space. IAF will fully take control of the selection and ISRO will augment them if required, he said.

ISRO is currently forming the new project team and management structure for the Human Space Program (HSP). The process of selecting crew members has started now. Theoretically, there will be no restrictions for anybody to apply for HSP. Once the crew is selected, they will be trained for two-three years before participating in the program, he said.

Sivan, meanwhile, sought assistance from the private sector which he said was essential for the completion of the Human Space Program by the set date of 2022.

Sivan also said that they required foreign support for astronaut training. “Right now, we don’t have the facility for the same. We’ll have to seek assistance from nations with astronaut training facility to train our people,” he said.

The number of people who will fly in the first mission is yet to be decided, he said. Regarding returning the crew module back to earth, he said that the landing point would be at the Arabian Sea, just West of Gujarat coast as it will provide another chance for the module to land. If landing in the Arabian Sea doesn’t go as planned, the module can be landed in the Bay of Bengal. “We are also looking to land the return module on land,” he said.