Indian spaceflight's duration not yet decided: ISRO chief
Bengaluru, Aug 29 : The duration of India's proposed maiden manned space mission in 2021-2022 and the number of astronauts who will be on board are yet to be decided, an ISRO official said on Wednesday.
"No decision has been taken yet on the number of days our first manned mission Gaganyaan will orbit the earth and how many astronauts will fly," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan told reporters here.
The clarification came a day after the media reported that Gaganyaan will orbit the earth for seven days and two male and a female astronauts will form the crew, following Sivan's briefing on the manned mission in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Pointing out that the agency will be able to send up to three Indians in space for up to a week, Sivan said that the numbers and duration of space journey will be decided later.
The space agency is aiming to launch the mission to take Indian astronauts 350-400km above earth by December 2021, after the two unmanned missions in December 2020 and June 2021.
"Critical technologies for the manned mission are already developed. We are in the process of developing a project team for the human space programme," Sivan added.
The Indian Air Force will take the responsibility of selecting the Indian astronauts.
For their further training, ISRO will seek the expertise of space agencies of either Russia, US or Germany, Sivan said.
"Seeking the expertise of other countries avoids learning through trial and error," he added.
The human space mission is expected to generate 15,000 jobs through the involvement of industry and academia, Sivan had earlier said.
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South zone finalists announced at WAVES VFX challenge in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: The South Zone round of the WAVES VFX Challenge took place today in Bengaluru, organized by the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI).
The day-long competition brought together talented participants from across southern India, with the goal of selecting top finalists who will go on to represent the region at the national finals next month during the WAVES Summit in Mumbai.
Finalists were selected in three categories:
Student Category
Winner: Soumya Das
Runner-up: Gagan HP
Professional Category
Winner: Mohamad Javeed
Runner-up: S Sai Chandan
Enthusiasts Category
Winner: Gagan Ajai
Over 1,500 entries were received from students, working professionals, and VFX enthusiasts, all centered around the theme “Super Hero Power.” Out of these, 14 entries were shortlisted to compete in today’s final round. One winner and one runner-up from each category were chosen to represent the South Zone in Mumbai.
ABAI Secretary R.K. Chand appreciated the strong participation and encouraged industry professionals to attend the Mumbai summit, which will host well-known personalities from films, advertising, and creative sectors. He also mentioned that the WAVES Challenge was recently launched in Bengaluru by Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Sagar Gulati, Director of the School of Creative Design and Information Technology at Jain (Deemed-to-be University), the zonal partner for the competition.
The day also featured two special sessions led by industry experts. Vijay Selvam from the global VFX studio MPC held a masterclass titled “Concept Reality,” where he discussed lighting, animation, compositing, and photorealistic effects. Students got the chance to interact with him during a Q&A session.
Another session was conducted by Rakesh H, Lead Head at The Mill, who spoke about how visual effects are used in advertising. Nearly 100 students attended these sessions, gaining valuable industry insights and learning opportunities.
