Vyommitra: An Automated Humanoid for the Gaganyaan Mission

Context

• As a prelude to the much awaited Gaganyaan mission, India’s space agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), is poised to create history by sending its first female robot astronaut into orbit, named Vyommitra.
• This ground-breaking trip will see Vyommitra, a humanoid robot with sophisticated artificial intelligence skills, demonstrate and evaluate critical technologies required for crewed space missions.

Launch of the Humanoid Robot Vyommitra Into Space by ISRO

The unmanned “VyomMitra” mission is slated to launch in the third quarter of this year, and the manned “Gaganyaan” mission is scheduled to launch in 2025.

About Vyommitra

• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) created Vyommitra, which gets its name from the Sanskrit terms Vyoma  (which means “Space”) and Mitra (which means “Friend”).
• This female robot was created especially for unmanned test flights that came before the Gaganyaan human spaceflight project.
• Vyommitra is a robot that is classified as half-humanoid because it does not have legs and can bend both forward and sideways.

Essential Elements of Vyommitra

• Facial emotions, speech, and vision functions are all part of its human-like appearance.
• It can also control switch panels and act as a companion to astronauts, conversing with them, identifying them, answering questions, assisting with navigation, and providing life support systems.
• To deliver timely updates and play a vital role in tracking the mission’s advancement toward success.
• To conduct life support procedures, send out alerts, and keep an eye on the parameters of the module.
• It will gather important information on how space travel affects human physiology.
• Its AI-enabled architecture, which enables it to tolerate vibrations and shocks during flight.

About GaganYaan Mission

India’s ability to launch people into space and safely return them to Earth is the main goal of the Gaganyaan mission. It seeks to set the stage for further space exploration projects and demonstrate India’s technological capabilities in crewed space flights.

        Important Elements:

• Launch Vehicle: The project will make use of India’s GSLV Mk III launch vehicle, which has a track record of successfully sending large payloads into orbit.
• Crew Module: The crew module’s purpose is to transport humans into space and back to Earth safely. It has communication tools, life support systems, and other necessary technology to guarantee the astronauts’ safety throughout the journey.
• Service Module: Throughout the operation, the crew module is supported by the service module, which supplies power, propulsion, and other necessities.
• Training Facilities: In order to prepare astronauts for spaceflight, ISRO has set up specialized training facilities. These facilities include centrifuges, simulators, and other tools that mimic space conditions and teach astronauts for a variety of scenarios.

Progress so far in mission

The Gaganyaan Test Vehicle (TV-D1), a test platform to verify the Crew Escape System (CES) abort demonstration, was recently launched successfully from Satish. This represents the mission’s progress thus far.

Sriharikota’s Dhawan Space Centre SHAR.
• The launch vehicle has finished its human rating.
• Every level of propulsion is qualified.
• Now, this year will see the autonomous, uncrewed robot flight known as “Vyommitra.”

FAQs

Q1: What is the mission of Gaganyaan?
Ans : India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, the Gaganyaan mission, aims to launch Indian astronauts into space.

Q2: What is the purpose of Gaganyaan?
Ans: The main goal of the Gaganyaan mission is to show that India is capable of launching people into space and safely bringing them back to Earth.

3. When did the Gaganyaan expedition get the go-ahead?
Ans : In August 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Gaganyaan mission.

Q4: How is the Gaganyaan mission doing right now?
Ans: The development and preparation stage of the Gaganyaan mission is presently underway. ISRO is engaged on a number of mission-related tasks, such as launch vehicle preparation, astronaut training, and spacecraft design.

Q5: What is the most recent robot-in-space mission?
Ans: India’s launch of the humanoid robot Vyommitra into space as part of the Gaganyaan mission’s preparations is the most recent robotics mission.

Q6: Vyommitra: What is it?
Ans: Developed by ISRO, Vyommitra is a humanoid robot with sophisticated artificial intelligence features. It is intended to help with crewed space missions by simulating human interactions and functions.