New Delhi: India’s highly anticipated Gaganyaan mission, which will mark its first crewed journey to space, has been rescheduled to launch no earlier than 2026. Initially targeted for 2025, the mission has been delayed to allow the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to conduct thorough preparations. The first uncrewed test flight, Gaganyaan 1 (G1), is set for December 2024, followed by Gaganyaan 2 (G2) in 2025.
In a recent address at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture on Delhi Aakashvani, ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath highlighted the mission’s complexity, underscoring the organization’s focus on astronaut safety and advanced technology development. “There are complex systems in the Gaganyaan program,” Dr. Somanath explained. “We are developing each one of them through a systematic process.”
Steady Progress Despite Technical and Logistical Challenges
The Gaganyaan mission, a pivotal milestone for India’s space ambitions, has encountered numerous challenges, including disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, ISRO diverted resources like oxygen supplies to support India’s healthcare system, which contributed to the mission’s delay from its original 2022 target. An additional ₹111 billion (US $1.32 billion) has been allocated to address the mission’s enhanced requirements.
The unmanned G1 and G2 missions will rigorously test all essential components, such as the crew and service modules, reentry capabilities, and splashdown recovery procedures in the Bay of Bengal. These tests, critical for verifying the mission’s safety, will feature a humanoid robot, Vyomitra, in G1 to simulate human conditions in orbit.
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India’s Journey to Join an Elite Space Club
With the Gaganyaan crewed launch, India aims to join the United States, Russia, and China as the only nations to have independently launched astronauts into space. The mission targets low Earth orbit at an approximate altitude of 400 km and will carry a team of one to three astronauts on a three-day journey, demonstrating India’s human spaceflight capabilities.
Among the astronauts training for this landmark mission are Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captains Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, Ajith Krishnan, and Subhanshu Shukla. Notably, Shukla, who has been training with Axiom Space in Houston, Texas, is set to join a separate mission to the International Space Station (ISS), gaining valuable experience in spacecraft navigation and docking.
