Gaganyaan's Hawaii station exit isn't slowing down India's big space plans
ISRO filed, then withdrew, an FCC application to use a Hawaii ground station for Gaganyaan LEOP support (filed 9 Jan 2026, withdrawn 12 Jan 2026).
Even after losing 16 satellites in the recent PSLV-C62 failure, officials say the mission is still on schedule—no delays here.
Meet Vyommitra: the robot testing astronaut life
Before sending people up, ISRO will run an uncrewed test (G1) using a humanoid robot called Vyommitra to check if life support and other systems work as planned.
Earlier plans called for an uncrewed test in February 2026. The first uncrewed test was planned for February 2026, but may be delayed beyond February 2026.
Why this matters: India's about to join the spaceflight club
If all goes well, Gaganyaan will make India just the fourth country ever to send humans into space independently—joining the US, Russia, and China.
Despite some bumps along the way, ISRO says they're confident about pulling it off.