<p class="title">India has a long way to go before it can actually undertake a human space flight mission, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier in the day, ISRO said that it carried out a major technology demonstration, the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system, a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Officials of the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said development of different technologies needed for making the ambitious venture a reality, including environmental control and life support systems and flight suits, were under progress.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is one of the many things that needs to be done. Not the only one. It's a step-by-step approach", Kiran Kumar told PTI on Thursday's test. "These are all some preliminary activities".</p>.<p class="bodytext">The crew escape system was an emergency measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort, according to ISRO.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kiran Kumar said: "We still have a long way to go actually (to undertake the mission). Currently, we are doing certain key developmental activities within the confined... whatever resources that are there."</p>.<p class="bodytext">ISRO officials said the government is yet to give its formal approval for the human spaceflight mission which was on the drawing board of the space agency for quite a long time now.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More than a decade ago, at a meeting convened by ISRO, scientists were highly appreciative of the study undertaken by it on such a mission and were unanimous in suggesting that the time was appropriate for the country to undertake the venture.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kiran Kumar said earlier this year that a human spaceflight was "not very high on priority" and indicated that "resource constraints" were holding back the high-cost venture.</p>
<p class="title">India has a long way to go before it can actually undertake a human space flight mission, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier in the day, ISRO said that it carried out a major technology demonstration, the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system, a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Officials of the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said development of different technologies needed for making the ambitious venture a reality, including environmental control and life support systems and flight suits, were under progress.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is one of the many things that needs to be done. Not the only one. It's a step-by-step approach", Kiran Kumar told PTI on Thursday's test. "These are all some preliminary activities".</p>.<p class="bodytext">The crew escape system was an emergency measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort, according to ISRO.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kiran Kumar said: "We still have a long way to go actually (to undertake the mission). Currently, we are doing certain key developmental activities within the confined... whatever resources that are there."</p>.<p class="bodytext">ISRO officials said the government is yet to give its formal approval for the human spaceflight mission which was on the drawing board of the space agency for quite a long time now.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More than a decade ago, at a meeting convened by ISRO, scientists were highly appreciative of the study undertaken by it on such a mission and were unanimous in suggesting that the time was appropriate for the country to undertake the venture.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kiran Kumar said earlier this year that a human spaceflight was "not very high on priority" and indicated that "resource constraints" were holding back the high-cost venture.</p>