Context:
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As India prepares for its first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan, ISRO is focusing on human-rating of launch systems.
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Human-rating ensures rockets and spacecraft meet extremely high safety standards to carry astronauts, making it a crucial step in India’s space ambitions.
Key Highlights: – Human-Rating and ISRO’s HLVM-3 Upgrade
Scientific Principle / Mission Details
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Human-rating is a rigorous engineering and certification process to ensure space systems can safely transport humans.
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Space missions require rockets to reach speeds of nearly 28,000 kmph within minutes, making safety requirements far stricter than cargo launches.
Global Standards and Benchmarks
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NASA sets an acceptable catastrophic risk threshold of only 0.2% during ascent and descent.
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Fully operational human-rated launch vehicles include:
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Soyuz-2 (Russia)
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Long March 2F (China)
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Falcon 9 (SpaceX, USA)
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ISRO’s Rocket Upgrade for Gaganyaan
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ISRO is upgrading LVM-3 into a human-rated version called HLVM-3.
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Enhancements include:
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Redundant backup systems
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Improved fault tolerance
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Advanced abort mechanisms
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A dedicated Crew Escape System
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Stakeholders Involved
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ISRO (mission execution)
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Indian astronauts (Gagannauts)
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Global certification agencies like:
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NASA (USA certification)
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FAA (commercial launch licensing)
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Roscosmos (Russia)
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CMSA (China)
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Relevant Prelims Points:
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Human-rating
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Certification ensuring a rocket and spacecraft are safe for human spaceflight.
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Requires much lower risk tolerance compared to cargo missions.
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Redundancy
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Duplication of critical systems to prevent mission failure.
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Essential for astronaut safety.
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Crew Escape System (CES)
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Emergency mechanism to rapidly separate the crew module from a failing rocket.
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ISRO’s Choice of LVM-3
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Selected due to:
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Proven record of 7 successful flights
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Alignment with Atmanirbhar Bharat for indigenous capability
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Global Performance Examples
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Soyuz: Over 150 crewed missions since 1967
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Falcon 9: 100% success rate across 20 human spaceflights
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Relevant Mains Points:
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Why Human-rating Matters
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Human missions demand higher safety due to:
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Extreme launch forces
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Harsh space environment
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Life-critical dependence on systems
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Even minor failure can cause loss of life, unlike cargo missions.
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Governance and Institutional Framework
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Human spaceflight requires strong regulatory oversight.
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Different agencies certify systems worldwide, highlighting the need for robust Indian frameworks.
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Challenges for ISRO
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Increased cost and complexity due to:
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Redundant subsystems
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Life support integration
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Abort and recovery systems
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Requires long-term investment and testing.
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Way Forward
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Strengthening indigenous certification mechanisms
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Continuous safety testing and simulation
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Developing reliable crew-support infrastructure
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Leveraging Gaganyaan for future missions like:
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Indian space station
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Deep space exploration
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UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
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GS 3 (Science & Tech): Human spaceflight, launch vehicle safety, crew escape technology
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GS 2 (Governance): Regulatory frameworks, institutional preparedness for space missions
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Prelims: Human-rating, redundancy, HLVM-3, Gaganyaan mission