The ISRO is reported to have got a green signal from Planning Commission for Rs 12,400-crore manned space mission scheduled for launch by 2015.

Speaking with the reporters here after a two-hour meeting with top ISRO scientists and officials of the Department of Space, Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Chairman, Deputy Commission) said: “We had a good meeting. The general inference is that ISRO has done an expert job and it needs to be supported. The Planning Commission will support it.”

Ahluwalia further said that India would launch an unmanned flight in 2013-2014. Apart from this, country’s manned mission would be launched by 2014-2015.

Meanwhile, commenting over these projects, Radhakrishnan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre said, “We are planning to put persons in the vehicle and launch them into space for seven days in an orbit of 275 km.”

He also added that Rs 12,400-crore expenditure would include setting up long-term facilities and inputs needed for the space vehicle and its entire get-up.

It is learnt that apart from ISRO, other agencies would also feature in this project.

Last year, after the grand success of Chandrayaan-I, a number of nations have come close to India for setting up a common lunar research centre for conducting studies. ISRO is also aiming to launch Chandrayaan-2 in 2012.