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Indian Human Spaceflight Programme

Indian Human Spaceflight programme
Gaganyaan astronaut insignia
Program overview
CountryIndia
OrganizationHuman Space Flight Centre (ISRO)
PurposeHuman spaceflight
StatusActive
Programme history
Cost₹20,193 crore (US$2.4 billion)
Duration2006–present[1]
First flightGaganyaan-1 (Q4 2025)[2]
First crewed flightGaganyaan-4 (NET Q1 2027)[3]
Launch site(s)Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Vehicle information
Launch vehicle(s)


The Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (or the Gaganyaan programme) is an ongoing project by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop the technology needed to launch crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit.[4] Three uncrewed flights, named Gaganyaan-1, Gaganyaan-2 and Gaganyaan-3 are scheduled to launch in 2025 and 2026, followed by a crewed flight in 2026 on an HLVM3 rocket.[3][2][5][6][7]

Before the Gaganyaan programme announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, though related technologies have been developed since 2007,[8] and it performed a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment[9] and a Pad Abort Test for the programme.[10][11] In December 2018, the Indian government approved a further ₹100 billion (US$1.5 billion) for a 7-day crewed flight of 2–3 astronauts.[12][13][14][15]

If completed successfully, India will become the fourth nation to conduct independent human spaceflight after the Soviet Union, United States, and China. After conducting the first crewed spaceflights, the agency intends to start a space station programme, crewed lunar landings, and crewed interplanetary missions in the long term.[16][17]

History

Prototype flight suit for crewed mission
Patch of Indian Cosmonaut Mission 1 in 1984

On 3 April 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel to space on board Soyuz T-11 as part of the Interkosmos programme, visiting Salyut 7.[18] However, the mission was launched on board a Soviet rocket and was not part of an independent Indian programme.

On 9 August 2007, the then Chairman of the ISRO, G. Madhavan Nair, indicated the agency was "seriously considering" the creation of a human spaceflight programme. He further indicated that within a year, ISRO would report on its development of new space capsule technologies.[19] Development of a fully autonomous orbital vehicle to carry a two-member crew into low Earth orbit (LEO) began a few months after that, when the government allocated ₹95 crore (US$11.2 million) for pre-programme initiatives for 2007 through 2008. A crewed orbital spaceflight would require about ₹12,400 crore (US$1.5 billion) and a period of seven years of development. The Planning Commission estimated that a budget of ₹5,000 crore (US$591.4 million) was required for initial work during 2007–2012 for the crewed spaceflight.[8][20] In February 2009, the Government of India authorised the human space flight programme,[21] but fell short of fully funding or creating it.

The trials for crewed space missions began in 2007 with the 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE), launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, and safely returned to Earth 12 days later. This was followed by the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and the Pad Abort Test in 2018. This enabled the ISRO to develop heat-resistant materials, technology, and procedures necessary for human space travel.

As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will provide support for the programme with critical human-centric systems and technologies like space-grade food, crew healthcare, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for safe recovery of the crew module, and fire suppression systems.[22] The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) has worked on space food for the crew and has conducted trials on a G-suit for astronauts as well.[23][24] A prototype called the Advanced Crew Escape Suit weighing 13 kg and built by Sure Safety (India) Private Limited has been tested and performance verified.[25][26][27][28] While the crew module is designed to carry a total of three passengers, the maiden crewed mission may only have one or two crewmembers on board.[29]

All preliminary tests being successful,[30] the decisive push for the creation of the Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP) took place in 2017,[31] and it was accepted and formally announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August 2018.[32] The funding is approximately Rs 10,000 crore. The testing phase was expected to begin in December 2020, and the first crewed mission was to be undertaken in December 2021.[33] However, on 11 June 2020, it was announced that the overall schedule for the Gaganyaan launches had been postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, in turn revising the timetable for the HSP.[34] As of December 2022, the first uncrewed test flight is scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-2024,[6] with the uncrewed second and crewed third flights to follow afterward.[5] As per ISRO, the initial review process is complete for food, potable water, emergency first aid kits, and health monitoring systems for the Gaganyaan programme through 16 March 2021.[35] ISRO and the CNES joint working group on the HSP are collaborating on space medicine for the programme.[36]

On 4 August 2024, ISRO, NASA and SpaceX announced that an Indian astronaut, Shubhanshu Shukla, would serve as a pilot on board Axiom Mission 4, a private Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He became the second-ever Indian to travel to space, with the express goal of gaining experience for future ISRO missions.[37] The mission was launched on 25 June 2025.[38]

Spacecraft development

Main article: Gaganyaan
Gaganyaan launch schedule[6][39][40]
Mission Patch Launch date Crew Launch vehicle Duration Goal Status
Gaganyaan-1 (Test Flight 1) TBA Q4 2025[2][41] — LVM3 2 days Technology demonstration Integration and testing
Gaganyaan-2 (Test Flight 2) TBA NET 2026[5][41] — 2 days Technology demonstration mission carrying Vyommitra, the humanoid robot Planned
Gaganyaan-3 (Test Flight 3) TBD NET 2026 [5][41][3] — 2 days Technology demonstration with Vyommitra Planned
Gaganyaan-4 (Crewed flight) TBD NET 2027 [42] India Shubhanshu Shukla[43]
India TBD[44] 		TBD First crewed flight Planned
Gaganyaan development timeline

The first phase of the programme is to develop and fly the 3.7 t (8,200 lb) Gaganyaan spacecraft with the capacity to carry a three-member crew to LEO and safely return to Earth, after a mission duration of a few orbits to two days.[40] The extendable version of the spacecraft will allow flights up to seven days, and have rendezvous and docking capability. Before the flight of the Gaganyaan module, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla flew on the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS.[45][46]

In the next phase, the development of a small habitat is planned, allowing spaceflight durations of 30–40 days. Further advances based on experience have the goal of developing a space station.[47]

On 7 October 2016, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director K. Sivan stated that ISRO was gearing up to conduct a critical crew bailout test called the Pad Abort Test to see how fast and effectively the crew module could be released safely in the event of an emergency. The tests were conducted successfully on 5 July 2018, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota. This was the first of a series of tests to qualify the launch escape system.[48][49] Parachute tests were scheduled before the end of 2019, and multiple in-flight abort tests were planned starting mid-2020.[50][needs update]

India will not use any animals for life support system testing, but robots resembling humans instead.[51][52] ISRO is targeting more than 99.8% reliability for its launch escape system.[53]

ISRO plans to launch its crewed orbiter Gaganyaan atop a Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3).[7] About 16 minutes after lift-off, the rocket will inject the orbital vehicle into an orbit 300 to 400 km above Earth. The capsule will return for a splashdown in the Arabian Sea near the Gujarat coastline.[54] As of May 2019, the design of the crew module was complete.[55] The spacecraft will be flown twice uncrewed for validation before conducting a crewed spaceflight.[56][57][58] As of January 2020, the crew module was due to undergo testing in the wind tunnel facility of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).[59] The spacecraft will carry one crewmember in its maiden crewed mission to an orbit of 400 km (250 mi).[29]

The first uncrewed flight will involve the launch of a 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) module which, after orbiting will re-enter the atmosphere and decelerate at an altitude of 7 km (4.3 mi) before splashing down.[60]

Infrastructure development

Launch pad

Second Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre

India's maiden crewed mission is expected to take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre's Second Launch Pad. In November 2019, ISRO sought out contractors for augmenting the pad.[61][62][63][64][65] A third launch pad in Sriharikota has been proposed for India's future launch vehicles and crewed missions.[66] Systems for crew ingress and egress, an access platform, recovery setup for emergencies during the flight's ascent phase, and a module preparation facility for assembly and testing will be built. All the facilities will be connected to an upcoming Gaganyaan control facility which will be built nearby to facilitate communication and monitor the crew capsule during flight.[67]

Human-rating of LVM3

2D representation of ISRO's human-rated LVM3 (HLVM3)

Human-rating certifies that a system is capable of safely transporting humans. ISRO will launch three missions to validate the human rating of the LVM3.[3][68] Existing launch facilities will be upgraded to carry out launches under the HSP campaign.[69][70]

ISRO has been modifying propulsion modules of various stages of the rocket for human rating. Theoretical parameters for human rating were expected to be achieved by August or September 2020 to be followed by simulations and three test launches.[71][needs update]

Escape system

Launch escape system

ISRO successfully conducted a pad abort test to validate its launch escape system for fast and effective crew extraction in emergencies. The tests were conducted on 5 July 2018, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. This was the first of a series of tests to qualify the launch escape system technology.[48][49] Work on parachute enlargement is also ongoing as of 2019.[68][72] Parachute tests are scheduled before the end of 2019, and multiple in-flight abort tests are planned starting mid-2020, using a liquid-fueled test vehicle.[50][73][needs update]

A new test vehicle was designed in early 2020 for the validation of the launch escape system. The vehicle was built for in-flight crew escape of crew and possesses propulsion on top of the module to pull the module away to a safe distance.[71]

Certification

ISRO is developing its own criteria to certify its spacecraft that will take humans to space.[74]

Communication

The spacecraft is expected to communicate with ISTRAC and other partner antennae. For the initial test flights, terminal ships will be placed in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to communicate with the spacecraft.[75][76] Future flights are expected to also be SATCOM capable, talking to Indian geostationary communication satellites.

Astronauts

See also: List of Indian astronauts

Astronaut selection and training

In the spring of 2009, a full-scale mock-up of the crew capsule was built and delivered to Satish Dhawan Space Centre for astronaut training. 200 Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were shortlisted for training. The selection process would begin with the candidates completing an ISRO questionnaire, after which they would be subjected to physical and psychological analyses. Only 4 of the 200 applicants were to be selected for the first space mission training, two flying and two reservists.[77][78]

ISRO signed a memorandum of understanding in 2009 with the IAF's Institute of Aerospace Medicine to conduct preliminary research on the psychological and physiological needs of the crew and the development of training facilities.[79][80] The institute played a key role in determining astronaut training, the design of the crew capsule as per the anthropometric dimensions of the Indian population and a number of control and environmental systems as per psychological and physiological needs.[81]

The announcement of Gaganyaan by Prime Minister Modi immediately attracted an enthusiastic reaction from the Indian diaspora, and ISRO received millions of letters and emails from Indian residents as well as expats willing to volunteer as astronauts for the project.[82]

In January 2019, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced the creation of India's Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in Bengaluru for training astronauts.[83] The ₹1,000 crore (US$118.3 million) centre will train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations, operations in a zero-gravity environment, and monitoring of the radiation environment. While the HSFC will initially operate out of ISRO headquarters, a dedicated campus is planned to be built near Bengaluru. The facility will include offices, housing, testing and integration facilities and will also employ a workforce of 1,000 people in the long term.[84]

An astronaut training facility will be established on a proposed 140-acre (0.57 km2) site near Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, Karnataka.[85]

The HSFC and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Roscosmos, signed an agreement on 1 July 2019 for cooperation in selection, support, medical examination, and space training of four Indian astronauts.[86][87] An ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) was approved to be set up in Moscow for coordinating activities.[88] As of September 2019, level 1 of the astronaut selection process was completed in Bengaluru. The selected test pilots underwent physical exercise tests, lab investigations, radiological tests, clinical tests, and evaluations on various facets of their psychology.[89][90] By November 2019 the Indian Air Force had selected 12 potential astronauts who would then go to Russia for further training in two batches.[91]

As selection criteria require test pilot experience, any females will not be part of the first Indian crewed spaceflight. The first crewed flight will consist of a crew of three with one backup and this team of four went to Russia for astronaut training.[50]

Gaganyaan crew training video

In December 2019, the selection process came to a close,[92][93] and four candidates began their 12-month training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on 10 February 2020.[94] The astronauts were trained for abnormal landings in various terrains, including forests, rivers, and sea.[71]

In February 2020, Indian astronaut candidates completed their winter survival training.[95][96][97]

ISRO has also proposed a ₹2,700 crore (US$320 million) plan to establish an astronaut training centre at Challakere in Chitradurga district. The facility would take at least 2–3 years to be established after the government's approval.[98] Following their training in Russia for unexpected and extreme situations, Indian astronauts were to return to India in March 2021 for the rest of their training in an Indian module.[17] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, training was put on hold from 28 March, restarting on 12 May 2020.[39] CNES is supplying the flight system and training flight physicians and technical teams for the Indian Human Spaceflight Program. It is also collaborating and sharing its expertise in the domains of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring and life support.[99]

On the 91st Indian Air Force Day in 2023, the IAF released a video on Twitter, sharing a glimpse of the astronauts (without revealing their faces) training for the Gaganyaan mission.[100] While two or three out of the four astronauts will be selected to fly on the first crewed flight, one of the astronauts on the mission previously flew on a mission to the ISS aboard Axiom-4 on 25 June 2025, as the second Indian astronaut in space after Rakesh Sharma. The four have been conducting mission-specific training in India since returning from Russia.[101][102][103]

Candidate announcement and first crew

Indian Astronaut Corps (2019 Batch, L-R): Nair, Krishnan, Pratap and Shukla

On 27 February 2024, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Prime Minister Modi announced the names of the four designated astronauts who will be eligible for future flights as part of the Gaganyaan program, as well as the Indo-US joint mission (Axiom-4) to the ISS. Kerala Governor, Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, ISRO chairman S. Somanath and other high-ranking ISRO officials were present at the reveal.[104][105][106][107] The selected astronauts are Group Captain Prasanth Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. They were given Indian astronaut wings and the Gaganyaan mission logo and motto.[108][109] The Indo-US joint mission astronaut is Shubhanshu Shukla, while Nair was selected as his backup. Both were thus selected to train at NASA facilities.[110]

The ISRO has acknowledged the need for additional astronauts on future space missions. A broader pool of potential astronauts will be created in collaboration with the IAF's Institute of Aerospace Medicine. Candidates from experimental domains and aeronautical research are of particular interest to ISRO. Angad Pratap, the Gaganyaan group captain, has stated that priority will be given to research work addressing difficulties ISRO faces in technical endeavours. Even if researchers and military aviators comprise the majority of initial crews, subsequent choices will probably be more diverse. The astronauts must become experts in space theory, take part in simulator training, and interact with scientists. Essential training at the Astronaut Training School (ATS) includes aero-medical training and survival training in a variety of settings, including sea, desert, and snow.[111]

Ground uniform

The ground uniforms were developed by staff and students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bengaluru. Under direction of the former NIFT director Susan Thomas, the team—students Lamia Anees, Samarpan Pradhan, and Tuliya D—and professors, Jonalee Bajpai and Mohan Kumar V—designed the ground uniform for the Gaganyaan mission. The team highlighted the importance that the astronaut-designates' pockets fit perfectly and the uniform support their motions. Seventy variants were considered before the final design was chosen. The NIFT team examined various space agency uniforms, such as those from SpaceX and NASA. The NIFT team explored asymmetry as a theme, developing a two-coloured, asymmetrical style line. The design was commissioned in 2021 by the NIFT team, and in 2022, they handed the design to ISRO.[112][113]

Space food

The Mysore-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), developed dried and packaged food for astronauts. The 70 varieties of dehydrated and processed food items underwent strict procedures to eliminate microbacterial and macrobacterial nutrients. Special care has to be taken in the packaging, and the food items should be of limited weight and high nutritional quality.[114] Waste disposal systems for leftover food, liquid dispensing systems, food rehydrating systems and heaters adaptable to outer space conditions are in development, although the list of food products planned to fly aboard Gaganyaan is yet to be publicised as of August 2020. DFRL is expected to launch its Ready-to-Eat (RTE) space food by March 2021. The initial batch for the crewed spaceflight Gaganyaan-H1 will carry foodstuffs sufficient for 7 days.[115]

Space medicine

India sent two flight surgeons to Russia and France for hands-on experience in space medicine. The flights surgeons are doctors from the Indian Air Force, specializing in aerospace medicine.[116] In preparation for the human spaceflight programme, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath encouraged the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) to come up with solutions for the astronauts' psychological health.[117]

Humanoid robots

Main article: Vyommitra
Vyommitra

Unlike other nations that have carried out human spaceflight, India will not fly animals into space. Instead, it will fly humanoid robots for a better understanding of what weightlessness and radiation do to the human body during a long duration in space.[118][29] A legless humanoid named Vyommitra was displayed in January 2020 and is expected to fly on board uncrewed experimental flights as well as assist astronauts on crewed missions.[119]

Experiments and objectives

On November 7, 2018, ISRO released an Announcement of Opportunity seeking proposals from the Indian science community for microgravity experiments that could be carried out during the first two uncrewed Gaganyaan flights.[120][121] The scope of the experiments is not restricted, and other relevant ideas will be entertained. The proposed orbit for microgravity platform is expected to be in LEO at approximately 400 km altitude. All the proposed internal and external experimental payloads will undergo thermal, vacuum and radiation tests under the required temperature and pressure conditions. To carry out long-duration microgravity experiments, a satellite may be placed in orbit. Astronauts will perform four biological and two physical science experiments related to microgravity during the mission.[122]

Space station

Main article: Bharatiya Antariksha Station

India plans to deploy Bharatiya Antariksha Station, a 52-tonne space station,[3] as a follow-up programme to the Gaganyaan missions. On June 13, 2019, ISRO Chief K. Sivan announced that India's space station will be deployed 5–7 years after the completion of the Gaganyaan programme, and that India will not join the International Space Station program. It is expected to be placed in an LEO of 400 km altitude, hosting a crew of three for 15–20 days. Final approval is expected to be given to the programme by the Indian government only after the completion of the Gaganyaan missions.[123][124][125][126]

ISRO is working to develop spacecraft docking and berthing technology, with an initial funding of ₹10 crore cleared in 2017.[127] A Space Docking Experiment, or SpaDeX, is under development, featuring signal analysis equipment, a high-precision videometer for navigation, docking system electronics and real-time decision making for landing systems. As part of the experiment, ISRO launched two small satellites for testing. This technology is crucial for a space station as it will enable the docking of spacecraft.[128]

See also

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