Gaganyaan: France To Train Surgeons To Monitor Health Of Astronauts Selected For India’s Human Space Mission

As India embarks on its first manned space mission Gaganyaan, France will train Indian flight surgeons who will monitor the health of astronauts selected for this mission, reports India Today.

Four Indian astronauts shortlisted for the Gaganyaan mission are already in Russia to receive 11-month-long training, but this two-week training for flight surgeons is a critical aspect of the Gaganyaan mission.

The flight surgeons to be selected will be Indian Air Force (IAF) doctors specialising in aviation medicines and the shortlisted doctors will then undergo two weeks training in France.

Later this week French space agency CNES (Centre National D'études Spatiales) president Jean-Yves Le Gall will arrive in Bengaluru and a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed.

France has an ample amount of experience in space medicine and Brigitte Godard, a flight surgeon with the European Space Agency, was in India last year to start the training of physicians and engineers.

India’s ties with France have grown stronger over the years and in 2018 both countries had signed a joint vision for space cooperation.

Both countries will jointly develop technologies for human exploration of the universe under which Indian Space Research and Organisation (ISRO) and CNES would jointly develop capabilities and critical technologies.