Gaganyaan Mission: Delays and Aspirations
ISRO Chief Announces Gaganyaan Mission Scheduled for Initial Quarter of 2027
While India prepares for its maiden human space mission, the launch of Gaganyaan has been nudged to the first quarter of 2027, a considerable delay from the intended 2022 target, thanks to the tangled knots of technology mastery and the disruptions wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mission Milestones
India's space agency, ISRO, has laid out a strategic roadmap for Gaganyaan, which includes a series of critical steps:
- A series of uncrewed orbital missions, scheduled as follows:
- Uncrewed Mission 1 (G1): Last quarter of 2025, featuring the half-humanoid robot, Vyommitra onboard to test and validate life support systems.
- Subsequent Uncrewed missions (G2, G3): Two additional uncrewed missions are planned for 2026.
- The crewed mission - aptly dubbed H1, followed by H2 - which will send Indian astronauts to a low-Earth orbit of around 400km for up to three days before safely returning.
Recent Developments and Accomplishments
ISRO has successfully completed the first Test Vehicle Abort Mission (TV-D1). The second Test Vehicle mission (TV-D2) is slated for later in 2025, providing further validation of critical systems before the uncrewed orbital flights begin. The Gaganyaan program is allocated a budget of ₹10,000 crore, with India developing all critical systems on its own without relying on foreign partners.
National and Global Implications
As India continues to carve its niche in space exploration, the Gaganyaan project is considered a pivotal step, nudging India towards becoming an independent global space power. Aspiring ventures, such as the proposed 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' by 2035 and the first Indian on the Moon by 2040, remain on the horizon.
Summary Table
| Mission Phase | Schedule | Key Details ||-------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|| Test Vehicle Missions | 2024/2025 (TV-D1, TV-D2)| Validate launch abort and recovery systems || Uncrewed Orbital (G1) | Last quarter 2025 | Vyommitra robot onboard, system validation || Uncrewed Orbital (G2,G3)| 2026 | Additional testing and validation || Crewed Mission (H1) | First quarter 2027 | 2–3 astronauts, 3-day orbit, 400 km altitude |
This ambitious timeline emphasizes India's determination to conquer advanced space technologies and achieve a remarkable human spaceflight moment by early 2027.
- The Indian space agency, ISRO, has set a target for the Gaganyaan mission's first uncrewed orbital mission, G1, in the last quarter of 2025, featuring the half-humanoid robot, Vyommitra, to validate life support systems.
- ISRO's strategic roadmap for Gaganyaan also includes two additional uncrewed missions, G2 and G3, in 2026, aimed at further testing and validation.
- The crewed mission, H1, followed by H2, will send Indian astronauts to a low-Earth orbit of around 400km for up to three days before safely returning, a part of the mission that is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
- The Gaganyaan program's national and global implications are significant, as it pushes India towards becoming an independent global space power, with aspirations such as the Bharatiya Antariksha Station by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040, on the horizon.
