Why in news? NASA keen on sharing its expertise with ISRO for Gaganyaan with bi-annual meet between the two space agencies

Highlights

About Gaganyaan 

• It is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
• Designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with rendezvous and docking capability.
• Manufacturer
• Defence Research and Development Organisation
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
• Indian Space Research Organisation
• 5.3 metric tonnes capsule will orbit the Earth at 400 km altitude for up to seven days with a two or three-person crew on board.
• ISRO undertook an uncrewed test launch of the vehicle aboard the GSLV Mark III
• Power: Photovoltaic array
• Regime: Low Earth orbit
• Design life: 7 days
• ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre and Glavcosmos, subsidiary of the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, signed an agreement for cooperation in the selection, support, medical examination and space training of Indian astronauts.
• Service module is powered by liquid propellant engines.
• Vyommitra: Female-looking robot who will accompany the other astronauts in the mission.