'We're working on for first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission this year', says Isro chief V Narayanan

ISRO's chairperson confirmed that the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme — designated G1 — is being actively prepared for launch in 2026, ...

What Happened

ISRO's chairperson confirmed that the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme — designated G1 — is being actively prepared for launch in 2026, with the mission now approximately 90% complete.
Over 8,000 ground tests, including structural qualification tests, have been carried out for the mission, with a reported 97% success rate across these trials.
The G1 mission will carry Vyommitra, a half-humanoid robot designed to simulate crew operations and generate critical data on life-support and environmental systems.
The full Gaganyaan mission sequence includes two additional uncrewed test flights (G2 and G3) before a crewed human spaceflight mission (H1) is targeted for 2027.
A further test vehicle demonstration flight (TV-D2) is also scheduled in Q4 2026 to validate abort systems.

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Gaganyaan Programme

The Gaganyaan programme is India's national human spaceflight initiative, approved by the Government of India in 2018. It is managed by the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) — a dedicated ISRO centre established to coordinate all human spaceflight activities across ISRO facilities, research institutions, academia, and industry partners. The programme's primary objective is to demonstrate India's capability to send a crew of two to three astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) aboard an indigenous spacecraft and return them safely to Earth.

Vehicle: HLVM3 (Human Launch Vehicle Mark 3) — a modified LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk III) with a Crew Escape System (CES) and a crew module rated for human spaceflight
Orbital parameters: 400 km LEO, mission duration up to 7 days for the crewed flight
Crew module mass: approximately 5.3 tonnes (orbital module including service module)
If successful, India would become the fourth nation — after the Soviet Union/Russia, the United States, and China — to independently launch humans into space
Budget: approximately ₹9,023 crore (approved 2018)

Connection to this news: The G1 mission is the first operational milestone in this sequence. Its success is a prerequisite for all subsequent Gaganyaan flights.

Vyommitra (Half-Humanoid Robot)

Vyommitra is a bilingual, genderless space humanoid robot developed by ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Inertial Systems Unit (ISU). The name is a portmanteau of "Vyoma" (space/sky in Sanskrit) and "Mitra" (friend). It is designed to simulate human functions inside the crew module without life support, monitor cabin parameters, operate the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), issue warnings, replace CO₂ canisters, and carry out switchboard panel operations.

Can recognise astronaut commands and respond in Hindi and English
Designed to carry out experiments in microgravity conditions
Provides a realistic test of human-machine interfaces before actual crew is on board
Does not require a full life-support environment (reduces mission risk for unmanned tests)

Connection to this news: Vyommitra's performance during the G1 mission will validate ECLSS integrity and crew-module operability under actual spaceflight conditions.

HLVM3 and Crew Escape System (CES)

HLVM3 is a human-rated evolution of India's heaviest operational launch vehicle. A key addition for human spaceflight is the Crew Escape System — a fast-acting solid-propellant escape tower that can pull the crew module away from the rocket within 2–3 seconds in the event of a launch failure. TV-D2 is a dedicated test of this abort system at high altitude.

LVM3 base vehicle: 43.5 m tall, 640-tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing ~8 tonnes in LEO
The crew module is designed to withstand re-entry heat and splash-down in the Bay of Bengal
Three test vehicle demonstrations (TV-D1 done in 2023; TV-D2 planned 2026) precede operational flights

Connection to this news: ISRO's statement that the G1 mission is 90% ready signals that HLVM3's human-rated configuration is approaching flight-readiness.

Key Facts & Data

Gaganyaan approved: 2018; budget ₹9,023 crore
Orbital altitude: 400 km (Low Earth Orbit)
Mission duration (crewed): up to 7 days
G1 completion status: ~90%; 8,000+ ground tests; 97% success rate
Crew module mass (orbital module): ~5.3 tonnes
Target crewed mission (H1): 2027
India aims to be the 4th nation to independently launch humans to space
Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) headquarters: Bengaluru
HLVM3 payload to LEO: ~8 tonnes
TV-D1 (crew abort test at low altitude): completed October 2023