The Indian Space Research Organisation is accelerating preparations for a series of ambitious space missions, with the Gaganyaan programme and future lunar exploration among its key priorities.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has reaffirmed that the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is targeted for the end of 2026. The mission will be a crucial test of the systems required to safely send humans into space and bring them back to Earth.
Gaganyaan aims to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of three into a 400-km orbit before safely returning them to Earth.
ISRO is also preparing for the next phase of India’s lunar exploration programme, including plans aimed at eventually landing Indian astronauts on the Moon. The broader roadmap includes advanced missions and technologies that could support India’s long-term human spaceflight and deep-space ambitions.
Alongside these programmes, ISRO is progressing with the NVS-03 navigation satellite mission, part of the NavIC constellation. The agency’s expanding mission pipeline reflects its focus on strengthening India’s independent capabilities in navigation, human spaceflight and planetary exploration.
