A top official also said that the space agency would soon build its own astronaut training facility and launch its first small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) or small rocket within a few months, according to a report in Gulf News on 21 February 2020.

“The design and engineering of the launch vehicle and orbital module system for India’s human space flight has been completed. A series of tests have to be competed to validate the design and engineering of the systems in 2020,” said K. Sivan, ISRO chairman, speaking at the 70th Annual General Meeting and National Conference on ‘Recent Developments in Aerospace and Defence Technology’ organised by Aeronautical Society of India.

According to Sivan, ISRO aims to schedule the first unmanned flight by the end of 2021. The human space flight demonstration is planned before India’s 75th Independence Day in 2022 and four Indians are undergoing astronaut training in Russia.