It is more bad news from Isro. The Indian hope of watching a desi space traveller orbiting the earth in an indigenous capsule before 2020 may remain a dream with the project making little progress in recent times.
Though the preliminary design of the capsule, with a capacity to carry two space travellers, is on at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, a formal approval to fabricate it for initial tests is yet to be given. But the single most important reason that is pushing the project beyond 2020 is the delay in getting a final clearance from the Central government. Except for an initial budget of `125 crores, the Centre is yet to endorse the Isro roadmap to launch the mission in seven to eight years from the word go. This first instalment is nothing more than a grain given the fact that the total project cost is estimated at `12,000 crores. “Even if we get the go-ahead in a year or two, a take-off before 2020 is unlikely. Forget the capsule and other infrastructure, we simply haven’t started even thinking of recruiting prospective travellers,” sources in the know of things pointed out.
Isro’s original idea was to join hands with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and to play a role in the selection of new pilots with a view to identify prospective candidates from the lot. “So that the training process could start straight away and they will be ready within five or seven years to take part in the mission. But even this exercise is a non-starter,” sources said.
The delay, sources admit, is more than a scientific and technological snub.