Union Cabinet has approved the Gaganyaan Programme with a demonstration of Indian Human Spaceflight capability to low earth orbit for a mission duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days. India will be the fourth country after the USA, Russia and China to send humans to space.
A human-rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a 3-member crew for the duration of the mission. The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is within 10,000 crore rupees and includes the cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements.
Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ambitious project from the ramparts of Red Fort during his speech on Independence day in 2015.