90% development work for Gaganyaan mission completed, says ISRO chairman
What's the story
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is making rapid strides in its Gaganyaan mission, with nearly 90% of the development work already completed. The update was shared by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan during a media interaction related to the Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC-2025), which is scheduled to be held from November 3 to November 5 in New Delhi.
Mission details
Narayanan elaborates on technology challenges in Gaganyaan mission
Narayanan emphasized that the Gaganyaan mission requires extensive technology development. This includes human-rating the rocket, developing an orbital module, and creating an environmental control safety system. "Then coming to the crew escape system, parachute system, and then, of course, human-centric products," he added while discussing the complexities of this ambitious project.
Mission timeline
Three uncrewed missions planned before crewed flight
Narayanan also revealed that three uncrewed missions are planned before the crewed flight. The first of these will see Vyommitra, a humanoid robot, take to space. "We are working toward that to accomplish the crewed mission by the beginning of 2027," he said while outlining ISRO's roadmap for the Gaganyaan project.
Test success
Successful integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan program
On August 24, 2025, ISRO successfully conducted the first integrated air drop test for the Gaganyaan program at Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC). This test validated the performance of a critical parachute-based deceleration system in a typical mission scenario. "We lifted off a simulated module using a helicopter to a height of around three kilometers above Earth," Narayanan said while detailing this successful demonstration.