Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in August this year that his country would send a national crew to space on board domestically-developed Gaganyaan spacecraft by 2022, when India celebrates the 75th anniversary of independence.
"The Russian side has offered Indian colleagues to conduct a short visit to the ISS. The flight should take place in 2022 before or after India's independent manned space mission. The agreement is expected to be signed in the near future," the source said.
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India has been developing its own space program since 1947, right after the country gained independence. The work is conducted under the guidance of the government department of space research. So, India has been stepping up the development of its indigenous space vehicle manufacture capabilities. The coordination of activities of various organizations and firms within the national space program, as well as the creation of rocket and space technology, is entrusted to the ISRO.
