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The Government told the Rajya Sabha that Gaganyaan has cleared major human-rating milestones, with all propulsion stages of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) developed and ground tested.
The first uncrewed experimental Gaganyaan mission carrying the half-humanoid Vyommitra is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by two more uncrewed missions by 2027.
The Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned to be operational by 2035, with a five-module configuration worked out and the first module BAS-01 approved.
The Union Cabinet approved Rs 20,193 crore in September 2024 for eight missions under India's Human Spaceflight Programme.
Separately, the LVM3-M6 mission placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird Block-2 satellite in a 520 km circular Low Earth Orbit - at 6,100 kg the heaviest payload launched by LVM3 from Indian soil.
A rocket that carries satellites and a rocket that carries people are not the same machine, even when they look identical. Human-rating means requalifying every system to a far higher reliability standard and adding capabilities a satellite launch never needs. The most important addition is the Crew Escape System - a set of solid motors that can pull the crew module clear of a failing rocket within seconds, at any point from the launch pad to orbit. That is why all five motor types had to be static tested and why the TV-D1 test vehicle mission existed purely to validate escape in actual flight. The other additions are about keeping humans alive and getting them back: the Environmental Control and Life Support System manages breathable air, pressure, temperature and humidity; the Thermal Protection System survives re-entry heating; the Deceleration System of parachutes slows descent, validated by the two Integrated Air Drop Tests; and the Crew Module Up-righting System turns the capsule the right way up if it lands upside down in water. HLVM3 is therefore LVM3 re-engineered - which is also why LVM3's growing commercial record, such as the 6,100 kg BlueBird Block-2 launch, matters for confidence in the crewed variant.
Simple Analogy: It is the difference between a cargo van and an ambulance - same chassis, but everything is rebuilt around the assumption that a life depends on it.
Define the roles and responsibilities of all contributors in the Indian space ecosystem - ISRO, IN-SPACe, NSIL and private players.
Key: Released by IN-SPACe as the framework document for private participation.
Provide risk capital to early-stage space companies.
Key: Corpus of Rs 1,000 crore.
Accelerate development, demonstration and commercialisation of indigenous space technologies.
Key: Corpus of Rs 500 crore.
Permit greater foreign investment across satellites, launch vehicles and ground segment.
Key: Introduced alongside a discounted pricing policy allowing Non-Government Entities to access ISRO facilities.
Develop indigenous satellite platform capability and speed up satellite development.
Key: Offered alongside the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) platform for in-orbit technology validation.
Augment launch infrastructure and enable greater private participation in launch operations.
Key: Located in Tamil Nadu; complements Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Autonomous single-window nodal agency for promoting, authorising and regulating space activities of both government and private entities. Announced in June 2020.
Executes Gaganyaan, develops HLVM3 and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station modules; system engineering for BAS-01 is progressing across ISRO Centres and Units.
International partner supporting Gaganyaan network operations.
Partner for crew and crew module recovery operations.
CNES provides specialised training for flight surgeons and ground support teams; Roscosmos supports astronaut training and supply of critical human spaceflight systems.
GS Paper 3 > Science and Technology: Space Technology, Indigenisation and Developing New Technology
General Awareness > Science and Technology, Current Affairs
General Awareness > Science and Technology
General Awareness > Science and Technology
General Knowledge > Space and Defence Technology
Gaganyaan, ISRO launch vehicles and space-sector reforms are asked every year across UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway and Defence exams.
The half-humanoid robot to fly on the first uncrewed experimental Gaganyaan mission, targeted for Q4 2026.
Human Rated LVM3 - the crew-certified version of India's heaviest operational launch vehicle.
Solid motors that pull the crew module clear of a failing launch vehicle; all five motor types have been static tested.
Environmental Control and Life Support System - manages air, pressure, temperature and humidity inside the crew module.
The test vehicle mission that validated the Crew Escape System in flight; TV-D2 is in progress.
India's planned space station, five modules, targeted operational by 2035; first module BAS-01 approved.
PSLV Orbital Experimental Module - the spent PSLV upper stage repurposed as an in-orbit platform for validating space technologies.
Indian Data Relay Satellite System - relay satellites providing continuous communication with orbiting missions; IDRSS-1 feeder stations support Gaganyaan.