Indian astronauts’ spacesuit on show

On the second day of the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX-2018), curious crowds had their first glimpse of what India’s astronauts will wear aboard the Gaganyaan manned mission. Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has scheduled this ambitious space flight for 2022.

The space suit, displayed at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), is part of the Gaganyaan system module that includes a crew escape system and a new thermal protection system.

The space suit has been developed by Isro at its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre over the last two years. The space agency has made two such suits. A third will be ready before trials begin for the manned mission.

The space suit is equipped with an oxygen cylinder with a capacity to last over an hour.

At the conference held in parallel to the Expo, Day Two had INMARSAT managing director Gautam Sharma talk about satellite companies’ potential to play a critical
role in the emerging digital economy.

He attributed this to “Global Coverage – 4 billion people are still to be connected; Reliability – Heterogonous networks that support requirements of a modern economy and Unique services – that support digital ecosystems such as precise navigation.”

In a parallel industry session, representatives from Antrix and Isro invited the industry to partner Isro in their launch programmes.

Heads of various Isro centres gave an overview of the various technology transfer opportunities with respect to small satellites and launch vehicles.