Indian Human Spaceflight Programme
India's programme to launch crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit.
The Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, also known as the Gaganyaan programme, is an ongoing effort by ISRO to build the capability to launch astronauts into low Earth orbit. If it succeeds, India will become the fourth country to achieve independent human spaceflight, after the Soviet Union (Russia), the United States, and China.
The idea of human spaceflight was not a major priority for ISRO until the programme was officially announced in August 2018. However, related work had been underway since 2007. That year, the agency launched the 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE) on a PSLV rocket, which returned to Earth after 12 days. In 2018, ISRO conducted a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and a Pad Abort Test. In December 2018, the Indian government approved ₹100 billion (US$1.5 billion) for a seven-day crewed mission carrying two to three astronauts.
The programme includes three uncrewed test flights—Gaganyaan-1, Gaganyaan-2, and Gaganyaan-3—scheduled for the 2020s, followed by a crewed flight on an HLVM3 rocket. The schedule has been delayed several times to complete all certification requirements. As of December 2022, the first uncrewed test flight is expected no earlier than mid-2024, with the second uncrewed and third crewed flights to follow.
India’s human spaceflight history began on 3 April 1984, when Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen in space aboard Soyuz T-11, visiting Salyut 7 as part of the Interkosmos programme. That mission used a Soviet rocket and was not part of an independent Indian programme, but it marked the starting point for India’s manned space ambitions.
In August 2007, ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair said the agency was “seriously considering” a human spaceflight programme and would report within a year on new space capsule technologies. The government then allocated ₹95 crore (US$9.9 million) for pre-programme initiatives for 2007–2008. A crewed orbital flight was estimated to require about ₹12,400 crore (US$1.3 billion) and seven years of development. The Planning Commission estimated ₹5,000 crore (US$519.2 million) for initial work from 2007 to 2012. In February 2009, the government authorised the programme but did not fully fund or create it.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) supports the programme with human-centric systems, including space-grade food, crew healthcare,
- field
- Human spaceflight
- nationality
- Indian
- known_for
- Developing crewed orbital spacecraft (Gaganyaan) and related technologies
- start_year
- 2007 (pre-programme initiatives)
- formal_announcement
- 15 August 2018
- budget_approved
- ₹100 billion (US$1.5 billion) in December 2018
Lore & Background
Before the Gaganyaan programme announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, though related technologies had been developed since 2007. The programme's trials began with the 600 kg Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE) in 2007, launched using a PSLV rocket, which safely returned to Earth 12 days later. This was followed by the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and the Pad Abort Test in 2018, enabling ISRO to develop heat-resistant materials, technology, and procedures necessary for human space travel.
On 4 August 2024, ISRO, NASA and SpaceX announced that Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla would serve as a pilot on board Axiom Mission 4, a private Crew Dragon mission to the ISS, launched on 25 June 2025. He became the second-ever Indian to travel to space and the first Indian space tourist, with the goal of gaining experience for future ISRO missions. The Gaganyaan spacecraft is designed to carry a three-member crew to LEO and safely return, with an extendable version allowing flights up to seven days and rendezvous and docking capability.
Reader's Guide
The Indian Human Spaceflight Programme represents a significant step in India's space ambitions, aiming to make India the fourth nation to achieve independent human spaceflight. The programme builds on earlier achievements, including Rakesh Sharma's 1984 flight on a Soviet rocket, and has involved collaboration with Russia (training astronauts at Yuri Gagarin cosmonaut training center) and with NASA and SpaceX (via Axiom Mission 4). The programme's long-term goals include a space station, crewed lunar landings, and crewed interplanetary missions. Despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and certification requirements, the programme has completed key tests such as the Pad Abort Test and is developing critical systems like space-grade food, crew healthcare, and parachutes with support from DRDO. The first uncrewed test flight is scheduled no earlier than mid-2024, with crewed flight to follow.
Did You Know?
- The first Indian citizen to travel to space was Rakesh Sharma on 3 April 1984, aboard Soyuz T-11 as part of the Interkosmos programme.
- ISRO will not use animals for life support system testing, but robots resembling humans instead.
- The Gaganyaan spacecraft will return for a splashdown in the Arabian Sea near the Gujarat coastline.
- Four new Indian astronauts for the first human mission trained at Russia's Yuri Gagarin cosmonaut training center.
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