New Delhi, April 9: In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the four Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, who are currently being trained in Russia for the Gaganyaan mission, have gone into self-isolation. The pilots will undergo self-isolation as a precautionary measure after nine COVID-19 cases were detected in the Russian space agency, a report by Hindustan Times stated. The training for of Gaganyaan's four astronauts in Russia has been put on hold as the facility, where the exercise is being undertaken, has been temporarily shut in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

The HT report further adds that people who spoke on condition of anonymity informed that all the four were in good health and the self-isolation was part of the standard procedures. The HT report quoted Dmitry Rogozin, director-general of Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, saying that nine employees of the corporation had been infected by the coronavirus and were receiving treatment. Gaganyaan Mission 2022: Training of Crew Members Including IAF Pilots Begins in Russia for India's First Unmanned Space Programme.

ISRO selected 4 IAF pilots for Gaganyaan-India’s first manned space mission, that is planned around 2022. The four ace pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) began their training in February 2020 at the Yuri Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center at Star City near Moscow. The training is being conducted under a commercial contract between Glavkosmos joint stock company of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos and the human spaceflight centre of ISRO.

The Yuri A. Gagarin state scientific research-and-testing cosmonaut training centre in star city of Moscow's Oblast trains cosmonauts for space missions. "The pilots will also be trained to act swiftly in case of abnormal landing of the spaceship descent module in different climate and geographic zones," said the official, citing a statement by Glavkosmos.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2020 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).