How Indian astronauts are prepping for 1st-ever Gaganyaan mission
India is putting its future astronauts through intense ground-based experiments to get them ready for the Gaganyaan mission.
Called Gyanex, these tests in Bengaluru focus on teamwork, stress, and living in tight spaces—basically prepping for what it's really like inside a spacecraft.
The ultimate test of teamwork and endurance
In July 2025, Group Captain Angad Pratap and two others spent 10 days confined in a mock spacecraft.
They followed strict routines, tackled science tasks, and ate DRDO-developed space food—all while dealing with limited resources and near-total isolation (except gravity).
Crafting medical and psychological protocols for space travel
What they're learning from these experiments is helping design medical and psychological protocols just for Indian astronauts.
It's also laying the groundwork for longer missions—think low Earth orbit or even planetary exploration.
India's ambitious plans for human space exploration
In August 2025, scientists took the HOPE habitat module to Ladakh's Tso Kar valley—a spot that feels a lot like Mars—to see how it holds up.
These trials are part of India's big plans to send humans deeper into space.