Gaganyaan: Where India's First Human Spaceflight Mission Stands
India plans to send its own astronauts to orbit. Here is the plan, the uncrewed test flights with the robot Vyommitra, and why the dates keep shifting.
India's Gaganyaan programme aims to launch Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit on an Indian rocket, bring them home safely, and make India one of only a few countries with independent human spaceflight capability.
The plan
The original plan was to send a crew of three astronauts to an orbit about 400 km above Earth for around three days, and return them to land in the sea. Before humans fly, ISRO will test the system with uncrewed missions.
The test flights before the crew
Pad abort and flight tests
ISRO has been testing the crew escape system, which can pull the crew capsule away from the rocket in an emergency, and other safety systems.
First uncrewed mission, called G1
It will carry a half-humanoid robot named Vyommitra, which will simulate an astronaut. It will monitor conditions inside the module and respond to alerts.
More uncrewed missions
Further uncrewed flights in the crewed configuration are planned to prove the system is safe.
The crewed mission
Only after these tests will astronauts fly.
The astronauts
In February 2024, four test pilots from the Indian Air Force were named as astronaut-designates for the mission: Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Prathap, and Shubhanshu Shukla. In 2025, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla flew to the International Space Station on a commercial mission, becoming the second Indian to travel to space, after Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Where the schedule stands
Dates for Gaganyaan have moved several times, as is common for human spaceflight programmes. According to a statement made to the Rajya Sabha in August 2026, the first uncrewed flight carrying Vyommitra is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026, with two more uncrewed flights planned by 2027 before the crewed mission. ISRO's chairman has said the first crewed launch is targeted for the first quarter of 2027. These are targets, not confirmed launch dates, and they have slipped before.
Why it matters
- Independence. Few countries can send humans to space on their own rockets.
- Technology spin-offs. Life support, safety, and materials research benefit other industries.
- Inspiration. A crewed mission can encourage students toward science and engineering.
What most people miss
- Delays are a sign of caution, not necessarily failure. NASA and others have also delayed crewed missions for safety.
- Vyommitra is not just a gimmick. It lets engineers test life support and response systems in realistic conditions without risking a person.
