Dr. Jitendra Singh Informs Rajya Sabha of Key Milestones in Gaganyaan and India's Human Space Exploration Roadmap

Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh briefed the Rajya Sabha that the Gaganyaan human‑spaceflight programme has reached key human‑rating milestones. The Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) has completed development and ground testing of all propulsion stages and structures, and the propulsion systems of the Crew and Service Modules have been qualified. The Engineering Model of the Environmental Control and Life Support System, Thermal Protection System, Deceleration System, Crew Module Up‑righting System and end‑to‑end avionics have also been successfully tested. All five motors of the Crew Escape System have been static‑tested, and related infrastructure such as the Orbital Module Preparation Facility and Gaganyaan Control Centre is in place. The TV‑D1 test vehicle mission and two integrated air‑drop tests have validated the escape and deceleration systems, while a ground communication network and crew recovery plan have been finalised. An uncrewed mission carrying the half‑humanoid Vyommitra is slated for Q4 2026, followed by two more uncrewed flights in 2027 before the crewed mission. The Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned for 2035, with the first module approved. A budget of ₹20,193 crore for eight missions was approved in September 2024, and ISRO is collaborating with ESA, ASA, CNES and Roscosmos for various support functions.