ISRO Gaganyaan Mission 2026: Uncrewed Tests & MCQs

Gaganyaan aims to launch a crew of astronauts to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bring them safely back to Earth, landing in Indian sea waters.

The human-rated LVM3 (HLVM3) features reinforced liquid, solid, and cryogenic stages with an automated Crew Escape System (CES) for astronaut safety.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft will operate in an approximately circular low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km, similar to the International Space Station.

The Crew Module houses the astronauts in a pressurized Earth-like environment, while the unpressurized Service Module carries propulsion engines and power systems.

Vyommitra (Sanskrit: ‘Friend in Space') is equipped to monitor module parameters, operate switch panels, simulate human biological respiration, and test life support systems.

The TV-D1 mission launched on 21st October 2023 from Sriharikota, successfully demonstrating crew escape separation at Mach 1.2 transonic speeds followed by parachute splashdown.

IAF test pilot Rakesh Sharma spent 7 days, 21 hours aboard the Salyut 7 orbital station, famously responding ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha' when asked how India looked from space.

The four Indian Air Force pilots completed foundational cosmonaut training at GCTC before returning to the Astronaut Training Facility (ATF) in Bengaluru.

All four designated astronauts are seasoned Indian Air Force test pilots with extensive fighter aircraft flight-testing experience.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was assigned as prime pilot for the Axiom-4 mission to conduct microgravity research aboard the ISS.

The Indian Navy, in coordination with ISRO, leads recovery operations in the Bay of Bengal/Arabian Sea deploying diving teams, recovery ships, and specialized cranes.

The CARE module was launched aboard the experimental LVM3-X flight in December 2014, safely splashing down in the Bay of Bengal near the Andaman Islands.

Inaugurated in January 2019 at the ISRO Headquarters campus in Bengaluru, HSFC coordinates Gaganyaan engineering, life support systems, and astronaut training.

DFRL Mysuru formulated ready-to-eat Indian menus (idlis, upma, dal makhani, mango pulp) packaged for consumption in microgravity.

DEBEL develops oxygen generation equipment, carbon dioxide scrubbers, toxic gas monitors, and specialized intra-vehicular activity (IVA) spacesuits.

The CE-20 is an indigenously developed cryogenic engine operating on liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) producing 200 kN of thrust in vacuum.

The twin Vikas engines burn hypergolic propellants (UDMH and Nitrogen Tetroxide), delivering reliable high thrust for the core booster stage.

Each S200 booster contains 205 tonnes of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) solid propellant, making them the third-largest solid boosters in the world.

The complete orbital module weighs approximately 8,200 kg, comprising the 5,300 kg Crew Module and the 2,900 kg Service Module.

ISRO plans to launch the first module (BAS-1) by 2028, completing the 52-tonne modular space station in orbit by 2035.

ISRO's long-term exploration roadmap schedules an indigenous crewed lunar landing by 2040, supported by the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).

NGLV will replace LVM3 for future modular space station construction and deep-space crewed lunar expeditions.

Developed by ADRDE Agra, the parachute system ensures safe deceleration; the module can splash down safely even if one of the three main parachutes fails.

ADRDE is a specialized laboratory of DRDO based in Agra dedicated to aerodynamic deceleration systems, parachutes, and heavy-drop equipment.

SRE-1 orbited Earth for 12 days before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Bay of Bengal on 22nd January 2007, validating thermal protection tiles.

The thermal shield dissipates intense friction heat generated by compressing atmospheric gases as the module plunges into the atmosphere at 7.8 km/s.

INS Dhruv is India's dedicated nuclear missile tracking and ocean surveillance ship operated jointly by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), DRDO, and the Navy.

IDRSS comprises satellites in geostationary orbit that track and relay telemetry in real time, preventing tracking blackouts when the spacecraft is outside ground station view.

Upon the successful completion of the Gaganyaan mission, India will become only the fourth country in world history to independently launch astronauts into orbit.

The Space Commission sets space policy, executed by the Department of Space and ISRO under direct prime ministerial oversight.