New Delhi: India’s ambitious human spaceflight program is set to take a major leap forward, with ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan announcing that the Gaganyan test mission will lift off in December this year.
The announcement came during a press conference attended by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, astronaut Shubhamshu Shukla, and Group Captain Prashanth B. Nair, who recently returned from space.
Narayanan highlighted India’s extraordinary progress in space exploration over the past decade, noting that missions completed between 2015 and 2025 are double those achieved in the previous decade. He also underscored the successful completion of three major missions in the last six months, calling the Axiom-4 mission a “moment of pride” for the nation.
Recounting his experiences from Axiom-4, astronaut Shubhamshu Shukla emphasized that the true value of human spaceflight lies in the priceless knowledge gained beyond training. He affirmed that the insights collected over the past year will play a crucial role in advancing India’s upcoming milestones, including Gaganyaan and the Indian Space Station project.
