New Delhi, April 27 -- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to open its astronaut cadre to civilians for the first time, The Times of India reported on Monday. This marks a shift in how ISRO is preparing to send humans into space in future, including and beyond the Gaganyaan missions.

Mission Gaganyaan is ISRO's first crewed spaceflight programme, designed to launch a three-member crew into an orbit of 400km for a three-day mission and bring them back safely to Earth by landing them in the Indian waters.

After due deliberation, ISRO's committee on astronaut selection and management recommended that of the total 10 Indian astronauts in the second batch, four should be civilian specialists with STEM (science, technology, e...