Indian Human Spaceflight Programme
The Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (IHSP) is an ongoing programme by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Three uncrewed flights, named Gaganyaan-1, Gaganyaan-2 and Gaganyaan-3 are scheduled to launch in 2024 followed by crewed flight in 2024 on an LVM3 rocket.
| Program overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Organization | Human Space Flight Centre (ISRO) |
| Purpose | Human spaceflight |
| Status | Active |
| Programme history | |
| Cost | ₹10,000 crore (US$1.3 billion) for maiden crewed mission |
| Duration | 2006–present
|
| First flight | Gaganyaan-1 (2024) |
| First crewed flight | Gaganyaan-4 (NET 2024) |
| Launch site(s) | Satish Dhawan Space Centre |
| Vehicle information | |
| Launch vehicle(s) |
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Before the Gaganyaan mission announcement in August 2018, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, but it had been working on related technologies from 2007 and it performed a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment and a Pad Abort Test for the mission. In December 2018, the government approved further ₹100 billion (US$1.5 billion) for a 7-days crewed flight of 2–3 astronauts.
If completed successfully, India will become the fourth nation to conduct independent human spaceflight after the Soviet Union/Russia, United States and China. After conducting the first crewed spaceflights, the agency intends to start a space station programme, crewed lunar landings, and crewed interplanetary missions in the long term.