Gaganyaan Mission Architecture
Gaganyaan is India's human spaceflight programme, aiming to send a crew of astronauts (referred to as "vyomanauts") to Low Earth Orbit (approximately 400 km) aboard an indigenously developed Orbital Module and bring them back safely. The Orbital Module comprises a Crew Module (CM), the habitable capsule carrying the crew, and a Service Module (SM), which houses propulsion, power, and life-support subsystems and is jettisoned before re-entry. The Crew Module alone weighs around 5.3 tonnes and is designed to support a two- to three-person crew for a mission duration of up to seven days [Unverified — duration varies by mission phase].
- The launch vehicle is the Human-Rated LVM3 (HLVM3), a modified version of ISRO's LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk III), with strengthened structural margins, redundant avionics, and a Crew Escape System (CES).
- The Crew Escape System uses quick-acting, high-burn-rate solid motors to pull the Crew Module away from the launch vehicle in case of an emergency during ascent or on the launch pad.
- The programme includes multiple uncrewed test flights (Gaganyaan-1 and beyond) carrying the humanoid robot Vyommitra before any crewed mission is attempted.
- ISRO's human spaceflight effort is coordinated through the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), Bengaluru, a dedicated centre established for the programme.
● Tracked since July 09, 2026 · last seen August 21, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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