India is advancing on its ambitious human space flight program, which aims to see its first astronauts launched by late 2027, the proposed Bharat Antariksh Space Station established by 2035, and for Indian astronauts to land on the Moon by 2040.
On Aug. 22, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan announced that the first test flight of India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission is now scheduled for this December. That will be an uncrewed mission carrying a half-humanoid robot named Vyommitra. Eighty percent of the tests (around 7,700 of them) required before Gaganyaan—Sanskrit meaning “celestial craft” or “sky vehicle”—is ready, he reported, with only 2,300 tests left to go.
Today, a necessary milestone was reached: ISRO’s Integrated Air Drop Test of the “Gaganyaan” crew module came off flawlessly, ISRO officials happily reported. The test simulated the re-entry of Gaganyaan; all parachutes deployed as planned and the crew module was recovered.
