Bangalore: India is weighing the pros and cons
of going in for collaboration for its ambitious human space
flight programme but a final decision would be driven by the
extent of technological gains accrued to New Delhi from it.
Different models are possible in undertaking the proposed
Mission, first mooted nearly a decade ago, Chairman of Indian
Space Research Organisation K Radhakrishnan told PTI.
Radhakrishnan, also Secretary in the Department of Space
and Chairman of Space Commission, said there is a lot of
discussion globally on collaboration in human space flight
programmes (not India-specific, but general in nature).
"So, then, we should decide what we have to do in this
area. There are different models available," he said.
One possibility is to have a human being (Indian) flown in
Soyuz (Russian rocket) or some other system. "It?s like
paying the money, getting into it, conduct a small experiment
and come back. That?s one part of it," he said.
Another model is to make a crew module indigenously and
use a man-rate vehicle (rocket) of a foreign space agency, and
the third option for India is to develop the rocket and
associated technologies on its own and undertake the mission.
"All these things are there. The question is how much
technology you will earn, what benefit you will get out of it
(in case of collaboration). One has to weigh it because you
(India) must have a long-term programme for it (human space
flights). We are not doing for the sake of doing it (the human
space flight mission) actually," Radhakrishnan said. (MORE)
PTI
