Gaganyaan Mission Delayed: India’s First Astronaut Launch Now Scheduled for 2026 | Here's Why

New Delhi: India's highly anticipated Gaganyaan mission, set to mark the country's first crewed journey to space, has been rescheduled to no sooner than 2026. The delay, moving the mission roughly a year past the original 2025 target, comes as the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) embarks on a series of careful preparations. The first uncrewed flight test, Gaganyaan 1 (G1), is scheduled for December this year, with Gaganyaan 2 (G2) anticipated in 2025.

Speaking at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture on Delhi Aakashvani, ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath emphasized the mission's complexity, noting that ISRO is prioritizing astronaut safety and rigorous technology development to ensure success. "There are complex systems in the Gaganyaan program," Somanath stated. "We are developing each one of them through a systematic process."

Steady Progress Amid Technical and Logistical Hurdles

The Gaganyaan mission, a critical milestone for India's space ambitions, has faced several challenges, including those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, ISRO redirected resources, such as oxygen supplies, to aid India’s healthcare system, delaying the mission’s original 2022 target by years. Additional funding of approximately ₹111 billion (US $1.32 billion) has been allocated to support the mission’s enhanced requirements.

Unmanned missions G1 and G2 will rigorously test mission components, including crew and service modules, reentry capabilities, and splashdown recovery in the Bay of Bengal. These trials, vital for validating mission safety and reliability, will feature a humanoid robot, Vyomitra, in G1 to simulate human conditions in orbit.

India’s Path to Join Elite Space League

With a successful crewed launch, India will join the United States, Russia, and China as the only nations to have independently sent humans to space. The upcoming H1 mission, targeting low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 400 km, aims to carry one to three astronauts for a three-day journey, showcasing India's prowess in human spaceflight capabilities.

Among the astronauts preparing for this historic mission are IAF Group Captains Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, Ajith Krishnan, and Subhanshu Shukla. Shukla, who has been training with Axiom Space in Houston, Texas, will also participate in a separate mission to the International Space Station, gaining crucial experience in spacecraft navigation and docking.