NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 28 (AFP): India will send a three-member team into space for up to a week when it launches its first manned mission expected in 2022, the government announced. India will send a three-member team into space for up to a week when it launches its first manned mission expected in 2022, the government announced Friday. Indian ministers approved a budget of $1.4 billion to provide technology and infrastructure for the programme, according to a government statement. It said the cabinet had approved financing to launch an Indian-developed craft in a "low earth orbit for a mission duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days." PM Modi announced in August that India will launch a manned space flight by 2022 with at least one astronaut. India plans to undertake 2 unmanned and 1 manned flights as part of its Gaganyaan (Sky-Vehicle) Programme. The country has invested heavily in its space programme in the past decade, stepping up its rivalry with China.
