Bengaluru, India — India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send astronauts to space and safely return them to Earth, has achieved a significant milestone. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on January 22 that the crew module for the mission has been equipped with a critical liquid propulsion system, bringing the country closer to its goal of independent human spaceflight capabilities.
credit ISRO
The Gaganyaan crew module, designed to carry Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit, has been assembled at ISRO’s Bengaluru center. The newly integrated liquid propulsion system will play a vital role in controlling the capsule’s orientation and trajectory during its descent after reentering Earth’s atmosphere. This system ensures the module can navigate safely until parachutes deploy for a soft landing.
With the propulsion system in place, the crew module is now being transported to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Kerala. There, it will be outfitted with essential electronics for communications, navigation, and power management—systems crucial for controlling the spacecraft during its mission.
Once these upgrades are complete, the module will be shipped to ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. At the spaceport, it will be integrated with the orbital module, marking another key step in the mission’s preparation.
Before India sends its first astronauts to space—a milestone now expected no earlier than 2026—the country plans to conduct at least four uncrewed test flights to validate the technology. The first of these, dubbed G1, will focus on testing the crew and service modules, reentry procedures,
parachute deployment, and a safe splashdown in the Bay of Bengal.
Credit: ISRO
Although uncrewed, the G1 mission will carry a humanoid robot named Vyomitra (Sanskrit for “space friend”) to simulate human presence and validate life-support systems. While ISRO has not yet announced an official launch date for G1, local media reports suggest it could take place as early as February.
In parallel with the technical preparations, India’s astronaut corps is undergoing rigorous training. One of the four astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan mission, Indian Air Force test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, is currently training with Houston-based Axiom Space. Shukla is preparing for a two-week mission to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for April, which will provide valuable experience ahead of the Gaganyaan mission.
ISRO has also been conducting extensive tests on the rocket engine that will power the Gaganyaan mission, as well as verifying emergency-escape systems and recovery procedures. These efforts underscore the agency’s commitment to ensuring the safety and success of its first crewed spaceflight.
The Gaganyaan mission is a cornerstone of India’s broader space exploration goals. If successful, India will join an elite group of nations—currently limited to the United States, Russia, and China—capable of independently launching humans into space.
India’s space program has already achieved several notable milestones in recent years. In 2023, the country successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 mission on the Moon and launched the Aditya-1 solar probe to study the Sun from Earth-sun Lagrange Point 1. Buoyed by these successes, India has set its sights on even more ambitious targets, including establishing an orbiting space station by 2035 and sending astronauts to the Moon by 2040.
ISRO has an ambitious launch schedule for 2024, with plans for at least 10 orbital missions. These include not only the Gaganyaan test flights but also missions to advance India’s capabilities in satellite technology, planetary exploration, and space science.
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