What is in the news : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the third long-duration hot test of the liquid propellant Vikas engine for the Gaganyaan programme.

About Gaganyaan

• Mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation
• Send a three-member crew to space for a period of five to seven days by 2022
• Announced in 2018
• There were 2 missions,first unmanned mission was scheduled to be sent in December 2020 and the second mission was scheduled for June 2021.
• However, the first unmanned mission has been delayed because of the disruption in ISRO’s work and operations on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Gaganyaan spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit (LEO) of 300-400 kilometres.
• Significance : First indigenous mission that will send Indian astronauts to space. If it succeeds, India will be the fourth country to have sent a human to space, the other three being the US, Russia and China.
• Spacecraft consists of a service module and a crew module, collectively known as the Orbital Module. The launch vehicle used for this mission will be the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk III