Meet 'Vyommitra', ISRO's Humanoid Robot That Will Go To Space

In a first, Indian space agency - India Space Research Organisation, ISRO will send the female humanoid in the unmanned Gaganyaan spacecraft in December 2020 first and later in December 2021, before sending humans.

The Gaganyaan mission is aimed at sending astronauts to space in an orbital spacecraft. The robot named - "Vyommitra" was unveiled by the ISRO in Bengaluru on January 22. The name is a combination of two Sanskrit words Vyoma (Space) and Mitra (Friend).

The robot was at the centre of attraction at the inaugural session of the "Human Spaceflight and Exploration - Present Challenges and Future Trends."

"Hello, everyone. I am Vyommitra. The prototype of the half humanoid being made for the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission. I can monitor few module parameters, alert you, and perform life support operations," the robot introduced itself.

Vyommitra will simulate most of the human body functions. ISRO scientists have already shortlisted four astronauts for the Gaganyaan mission who will go to Russia for training at the end of this month.

These four astronauts will be undergoing eleven months of training after which they will return to India and will receive module-specific training.

The identity of the astronauts is not yet revealed. As per the ISRO sources, India's heaviest launch vehicle 'Bahubali' GSLV Mark-III will be the carrying the astronauts to space.

ISRO's chief K Sivan said that in 1984, Rakesh Shram went to space in a Russian module, but this time Indian astronauts will fly in Indian module.

The central government has earmarked ₹10,000 crores for the Ganganyan project. The ambitious mission will be launched in 2022.

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