ISRO's Gaganyaan G1 mission: India's next big space step
ISRO is gearing up for the Gaganyaan G1 mission tentatively slated for March 2026—a major move toward sending Indians into space.
This uncrewed test flight comes after 8,000+ ground tests and is being closely reviewed to iron out any last design or software issues.
Vyommitra: The robot astronaut
G1 will carry Vyommitra, a humanoid robot. She'll spend three days orbiting Earth at 400km altitude, simulating what a human astronaut would experience.
Her main job is to test life support systems, re-entry tech, heat shields, parachutes, and recovery gear—basically making sure everything works before humans go up.
What makes Vyommitra special?
Vyommitra can read instrument panels and speak with ground controllers. Data from her mission will help ISRO fine-tune systems for real astronauts.
After this flight comes another uncrewed test (G2), then the first crewed Indian spaceflight planned for 2027 with four selected astronauts.