Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chief K Sivan detailed the country’s first manned mission to space on Tuesday, saying the four men shortlisted for the programme will receive physical fitness training in Russia for 11 months, but the first spaceflight in December 2021 may carry just one person.

Under the mission, named Gaganyaan and expected to cost ₹10,000 crore, India is expected to send astronauts, all Indian Air Force pilots, to the low earth orbit, an earth-centred orbit with an altitude of 2,000km where most of the manmade objects in outer space are placed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the space mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2018, saying that “an Indian son or daughter” will carry the national flag on the trip when the country celebrates its 75th year of Independence in 2022.

Sivan, however, confirmed on Tuesday that all astronauts shortlisted for the trip were men. “I cannot reveal the identities of the four individuals shortlisted for the Gaganyaan mission, but all of them are men,” the Isro chief told HT.

The astronauts will likely begin their training in Russia from the third week of January, the Indian space agency has said.

In Russia, the astronauts will receive physical fitness training in different types of environments to help them acclimatise to travelling in space. “The astronauts will undergo the physical fitness training in Russia for 11 months, after which they will receive module specific training in India. In that, they will train in the crew and service module designed by us, learn to operate it, work around it, do simulations,” Sivan said.

The Isro chief said Mysuru-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) was preparing a food menu for the mission. “The food for the astronauts is being developed by DFRL. Apart from that, a number of DRDO labs are helping with various aspects of the mission. The space suit is also being designed; Russian help is being taken for that,” Sivan said.

News agency ANI tweeted that DFRL prepared food items including egg rolls, vegetarian rolls, idlis, moong dal halwa and pulao, along with a food heater. HT could not independently verify the list of food items being developed.

Sivan said that even though all four people will receive the complete training, it was likely that only one person would go to space during the first mission, which is scheduled for December 2021.

“We are designing the mission for three people to go to low earth orbit for seven days. However, whether we send two people or one person and whether they spend seven days in the orbit or one will be decided later on in the mission after the two unmanned flights. Usually, the first flight is very crucial and even countries such as the USA, Russia, and China sent only one person for the first time and for a very short time – one orbit, or one day, or even like the USA did only part of the orbit,” said Sivan.

The design of the crew and the service module, which will together form the Gaganyaan spacecraft, has been also been completed, the Isro chairperson said.

“The design for the launch vehicle that will be human-rated has also been completed. This is all on paper; the realisation hasn’t started yet. Once the realisation starts, the first model will come and it will go for qualification then the flight model will be made most likely by December this year. When you are planning a mission with humans, all systems have to be more robust; failure rate has to be low,” said Sivan.

India’s heaviest launch vehicle, the GSLV Mark III, referred to as “Bahubali”, will carry the module with astronauts to space. It has been redesigned to have a four-metre payload faring (the top of a launch vehicle where the spacecraft is housed).

The mission will take off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The launch pad is also being remodelled to allow for human presence. Currently, no one is allowed beyond a distance of around 6km from the launch vehicle once the fuelling has taken place.

A committee of external experts has been set up to review the systems and check for robustness. “Usually, for other missions, the review is done by Isro people, but since humans are involved in the mission, a committee of external experts will review the work,” said Sivan.

A humanoid robot that will be sent on the unmanned flight is also taking shape. “This humanoid will basically mimic human functions, will record parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, etc. This is getting ready. The two unmanned flights will let us ensure whether everything is working well, whether the environment in the modules are controlled, whether it is safe for humans. Like any programme, after two successful test flights, we will undertake the operational flight,” said Sivan.

India completed a dominant win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Indore and have gone 1-0 up in the 3-match series. The visitors now need to win final in order to draw level after the first match was washed out. It was a win in which the Indian bowlers were at their best and the finishing kick was applied by the batsmen.

KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Virat Kohli starred with the bat as the hosts chased down the target of 143 with minimum fuss. The skipper started this new year by reaching another milestone – Kohli is now the fastest batsman to complete 1,000 T20I runs as a captain. He overtook Faf du Plessis to register this record. Kohli got to 1000 runs in 30 runs, thus beating the South African skipper, who reached this milestone in 31 innings.

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Fastest to 1,000 T20I runs as a captain – by innings:

30 – Virat Kohli*

31 – Faf du Plessis

36 – Kane Williamson

42 – Eoin Morgan

54 – William Porterfield

57 – MS Dhoni

Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur were impressive with the ball as they kept picking up wickets at regular intervals to never allow Sri Lanka to break away. The skipper praised the effort of his younger bowlers and labelled it as a good sign for the side going forward.

ALSO READ: We missed ‘main bowler’ Udana: Malinga

“This was a clinical performance, and that’s how we want to build on each series. We have ticked a few more boxes this time. Brilliant from Navdeep. He has done well in ODI cricket, and he’s bowling well in T20s, with experienced guys like Jasprit, Bhuvi and Shardul. It’s a really good sign for the team. It’s good to have Jasprit back again. He was really keen to bowl again, and his pace was up again,” Kohli said after the win.

“We kept picking wickets, and we didn’t let them to 170-175, which I thought would have been a par score. (On choice of number three) The thought process is simple – we need to see guys step up, win matches under pressure. Me going in at 4 helps us too, like I did at Wankhede [against West Indies]. At the same time, give young players a chance,” he further added.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 234 crore for the Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Garden in Gorakhpur.

The decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“The government has sanctioned Rs 234.36 for the Ashfaqullah Khan garden. It will be developed on 121.34 acre land. It will give an international identity to Gorakhpur and promote wildlife conservation,” UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma told reporters here.

The cabinet also approved construction of a hostel for 200 students at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).

Congress leader P Chidambaram urged the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) M Jagadesh Kumar to follow his “put the past behind” exhortation to students and leave the institution as he is “past”.

“The VC of JNU wants students to “put the past behind”. He should follow his advice. He is the past. He should leave JNU,” tweeted the Congress leader early on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, an under fire V-C appealed to the students to “make a new beginning” after masked goons ran riot on campus vandalising property and roughing up students and teachers.

“I would like to tell students that JNU campus is a secure place. I urge all students to come back to the campus. Let us put the past behind,” the vice chancellor said.

Later, interacting with reporters, Kumar said the campus had its own security.

“If there is a law-and-order situation, we do not rush to the police immediately. We see if our security can handle it, but when it goes out of hand, we definitely approach the police because we do not want any innocent people to be injured,” he said.

According to Kumar, the university administration followed the same protocol on Sunday, the day when a masked mob stormed the campus.

“When we saw that there is a possibility of aggressive behaviour among students we informed police,” he said. “There is a process of giving it in writing. With the help of our security, the situation was contained.” Students and teachers have also alleged that the vice-chancellor had not reached out to the students and teachers after the violence, but Kumar said “appropriate help” was being provided.

The same day, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said around 100 MPs will write a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind demanding sacking of the JNU vice-chancellor.

“Many members of Parliament, around 100 of them, have been contacted and they have decided to write a letter to the President, who is the the visitor to the university, demanding sacking of the VC,” Yechury said.

Banking, transport and other services across the country are likely to be hit as trade unions have called a nationwide strike on Wednesday.

Nearly 25 crore people are said to be taking part in this all-India strike to protest against the government’s “anti-people” policies.

Ten central trade unions like INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC along with various sectoral independent federations and associations had adopted a declaration in September last to go on a nationwide strike on January 8, 2020.

Several banks have already informed stock exchanges about the Wednesday strike and its impact on banking services.

Various bank employee associations, including AIBEA, All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), BEFI, INBEF, INBOC and Bank Karmachari Sena Mahasangh (BKSM), have expressed their willingness to participate in the strike.

Banking services like deposit and withdrawal, cheque clearing and instrument issuance are expected to be impacted due to the strike.

However, services at private sector banks are unlikely to be impacted.

Other than banking, transport and other key services are also likely to be disrupted in many states due to this nationwide strike call.

In West Bengal, trade unions affiliated to Left and other parties called for a bandh against the economic policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

However, the state government said it will not support any bandh.

“The Ministry of Labour has failed to assure on any of the demands of workers which called a meeting on January 2, 2020. The attitude of the government is that of contempt towards labour as we construe from its policies and actions,” the 10 CTUs said in a joint statement.

“We expect participation of not less than 25 crore of working people in the forthcoming National General Strike on January 8, 2020, to be followed by many more actions seeking reversal of the anti-worker, anti-people, anti-national policies of the Government,” it said.

The central government, meanwhile, has asked public sector undertakings to dissuade their employees from participating in the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called on Wednesday and advised them to prepare a contingency plan to ensure smooth functioning of the enterprises.

Meanwhile, in Kerala, the trade unions exempted the state’s tourism sector from Wednesdays general strike.

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society hailed as “exemplary” the decision by political parties and trade unions to exempt the state’s tourism sector from Wednesdays general strike.

“Any employee going on strike in any form, including protest, would face the consequences which, besides deduction of wages, may also include appropriate disciplinary action,” said an office memorandum issued by the government.

“Suitable contingency plan may also be worked out to carry out the various functions of the ministry/department,” it added.