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Russian R&D company Zvezda started manufacturing space suits for Indian astronauts who are a part of mission Gaganyaan, India's first manned space mission.

The training for India's first manned mission, Gaganyaan has resumed with the astronauts getting trained in Russia after it was put on hold in May due to COVID-19.

Russia's research and development enterprise company Zvezda which is a subsidiary of Russian space organization Roscosmos has started manufacturing spacesuits for Indian astronauts who are being trained to be a part of Gaganyaan mission.

Four astronauts have been shortlisted for the mission which is the first manned mission till now for the country.

On September 3, Indian astronauts who have been training for the spaceflight in Russia under the contract of Glavkosmos have visited Zvezda where their anthropometric measurements were taken for the subsequent production of the spacesuits.

The contract also provides for the production of individual seats and custom-made couch liners.

Glavkosmos is a subsidiary of Roscosmos with which the Human Spaceflight Center of the country based Indian Space Research Organization has signed a contract to train the Indian astronauts for the mission.

The contract for the production and delivery of the individual equipment kits for the Indian astronauts was signed by the Glavkosmos and the ISRO's Human Spaceflight Center on March 11.

Indian astronauts have been training in Russia for this mission since February 10, 2020.

Earlier in May, the Russian space corporation Roscosmos has said that Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut training center has resumed training of Indian astronauts on May 12 under the contract between Glavkosmos, JSC, and the Human Spaceflight Center of the Indian Space Research Organization.

Moreover, all the four Indian astronauts are in good health at the time of the resumption of training.

Sanitary and Hygeinic measures are being carried out at all the facilities and social distancing measures are being applied. All the employees and the cosmonauts must wear medical masks and gloves.

The Rs. 10,000 crore worth ambitious project of Gaganyaan is expected to be launched in 2022, the year of 75th anniversary of the Indian independence.

The contract for the training of Indian astronauts between Glavkosmos and the ISRO was signed on June 7, 2019.

After the completion of the training in Russia, the astronauts will next receive the module-specific training in India where they would learn where they would learn how to operate it and do the simulations.

Gaganyaan was planned to launch in 2022 but due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown had been a reason for the further delay.

- By Gayatri Yellayi