Gaganyaan mission – ISRO’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission set for first quarter of 2027

India’s first human spaceflight under the Gaganyaan programme is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2027, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, said on Tuesday.

The Minister said earlier test missions have prepared the ground for the upcoming phases. “The successful completion of the TV-D1 mission and the first uncrewed Test Vehicle Abort Mission earlier this year have laid a strong foundation for the upcoming test schedule,” he said. The second Test Vehicle mission (TV-D2) is scheduled for later in 2025, followed by uncrewed orbital flights.

“These milestones will culminate in India’s maiden human spaceflight in 2027, launching Indian astronauts into orbit aboard an Indian rocket from Indian soil,” he said.

The human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle, the Crew Escape System, and the Crew Module and Service Module are currently in the final stages of testing and integration. The Minister said the first uncrewed orbital Gaganyaan mission remains on track for launch later this year. Recovery trials have been carried out in coordination with the Indian Navy, with more sea recovery simulations planned.

Singh said the four Indian Air Force pilots selected for the mission have completed training in Russia and are now undergoing further mission-specific training in India. Their health, psychological fitness, and operational readiness are being assessed at the astronaut training facility.

“The expenditure on the Gaganyaan project is relatively low when compared to other countries’ human spaceflight missions.  The returns, in terms of technological development and economic activity, exceed the investment,” Singh said.

The programme, according to the government, has led to developments in areas such as robotics, materials, electronics, and medicine, and has increased collaboration with private industry. “Today, Gaganyaan is not just ISRO’s mission. It is India’s mission,” Singh said.

Gaganyaan aims to place India among a limited number of countries that have independently developed and executed a human spaceflight programme.

“The mission is contributing to India’s capability in human spaceflight and is encouraging participation from researchers and engineers in various sectors,” V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO said.

The Gaganyaan programme, approved in December 2018, was designed to launch human spaceflight missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lay the foundation for technologies needed for an Indian human space exploration programme in the long run. The vision for space in the Amrit Kaal includes the creation of an operational Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and an Indian crewed lunar mission by 2040.

The programme has undergone revisions to include the development and precursor missions for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, factoring in one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirements. The human spaceflight programme now includes eight missions to be completed by December 2028, with the launch of the first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1). The human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle, the Crew Escape System, and the Crew Module and Service Module are currently in the final stages of testing and integration. Recovery trials have been carried out in coordination with the Indian Navy, with more sea recovery simulations planned.