Scientists, expressing appreciation for ISRO's four-year study on the issue, were unanimous in suggesting that "time is appropriate" for India to undertake a manned mission to space. Among those who took part in the day-long deliberations was India's first cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, who flew in a Russian rocket in April 1984. He spent eight days in a Russian space station.

"At the end of the meeting the opinion was unanimous that India should launch a manned space flight," an Isro spokesperson told TOI. The decision will now be formally ratified by the Centre, as was done in the case of the unmanned Indian lunar mission.

This much-awaited lift off of India's first manned space flight will be from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Isro subsequently plans to put a man on the Moon by 2020, four years before China. "In the manned mission to space, we are just looking at reaching space and back. There is no proposal about the Moon now," an Isro official said.

The scientists' approval for this ambitious Rs 10,000-crore project, which will be spread over eight years, assumes significance in the context of Pakistan and Malaysia sending people into space. In fact Malaysia has not ruled out the possibility of one of its astronauts of going to the Moon by 2020.

China has embarked on manned space flights and is also exploring the possibility of setting up a permanent lunar settlement. The feeling was that India with its excellent capabilities in the space sector should not be left out.

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