Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair has presented manned spaceflight plans to the Indian prime minister, Man Mohan Singh.
The plan proposes to send an Indian astronaut into space in a capsule launched by the indigenous three-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GLSV)-III from India's east coast national launch complex Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota island.
No timeframe has been set for the manned flight, but ISRO sources suggest its goal could be achieved within a decade.
Before any government decision, cost and value studies will have to be undertaken for the project, which is currently predicted to have a price tag of up to Rp200 billion ($4.4 billion).
The GSLV-III is being developed to have a 10,000kg (22,000lb) payload capability to low-Earth orbit, sufficient to launch a manned capsule. India expects to launch its first recoverable satellite by the end of this year or early 2007.
ISRO successfully hot-fired its indigenous cryogenic upper stage destined for the GSLV last week, designed to replace the Russian-supplied upper stage.
Source: Flight International
