India plans 1st manned space trip 2016

NEW DELHI: India's space agency is planning the nation's first manned space flight for 2016, if it gets government approval of the project budget, an official said yesterday.

The Indian Space Research Organization has sought 120 billion rupees ($2.6 billion) to put two astronauts in space for a week, spokesman S. Satish told AP.

The government has already provided a pre-project fund of about four billion rupees allowing the agency to do some initial research on the space flight, he said, adding that the ISRO is "hopeful" of getting the entire project approved soon so it can start making full-scale preparations.