August 23, 2025

NEW DELHI – Get ready for some out-of-this-world excitement! ISRO is gearing up to launch the first uncrewed mission of its ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight project by December this year. And guess what? This mission will carry Vyommitra, a cool half-humanoid robot, who will fly in space to test key systems. ISRO chairman V Narayanan announced this thrilling news during a media briefing, with space minister Jitendra Singh and astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla present. The chief praised Shukla’s spectacular space trip to the International Space Station (ISS), which was the very first by an Indian. Shukla’s experience flying the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS is set to play a big role in helping ISRO make Gaganyaan’s manned mission a success. Narayanan also took a jab at SpaceX, pointing to the dangerous liquid oxygen leak in their Falcon-9 rocket during the Axiom-4 launch that risked the lives of the four astronauts, including Shukla. He warned, “If with a crack the rocket lifts off, with the vibrations, it will give way the moment it lifts off. Once it gives way, it will be a catastrophic situation, nothing else.” Shukla, who reached the ISS on June 26, called the mission "a mission of an entire nation" and thanked every Indian citizen who made it feel like India truly owned the journey. He described being on the space station as "very different from what you learn on the ground" and "an unbelievable experience." Highlighting their achievements, Shukla said, "We have been able to achieve all our technical objectives." They conducted seven different scientific experiments on the ISS, including stem cell research and growing sprouts. "Some of them started showing results while we were there. The results were very encouraging." Explaining the importance of the ISS, Shukla said, "Crew Dragon is one of the three vehicles that can currently take humans to space. We were also fortunate to have training on the Soyuz, which launches from Russia, besides Crew Dragon. The ISS, as you know, is an orbiting laboratory that has been operational since 2000. It has been conducting cutting-edge science and is a perfect example of international collaboration." Narayanan proudly shared ISRO’s many wins over the past months. "The entire ISRO programme is the result of teamwork of 20,000 employees, 450 industrial partners and 300 academia partners. Today, we also have the Gaganyatris for our programmes." He also highlighted ISRO’s wide-reaching impact: "We have telemedicine, tele-education, television broadcasting, and real-time connectivity for around 8,600 trains and 21,000 shipping vessels." On the environmental front, Narayanan said, "A total of 13 out of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals are being supported by ISRO." The chairman mentioned other milestones, like the Aditya L1 solar mission, which has delivered 13 terabits of data this year, and the upcoming NISAR mission. He added exciting news on technology: "We have made a major breakthrough in cryogenic engine technology. The tests are going very well, and lots of indigenisation activities are progressing well." To fire the imagination, Narayanan said, "In two to three months, we are also going to launch a 6,500-kg communication satellite of the US, on our launch vehicle. To date, 433 satellites of 34 countries have been launched from India." India’s space saga is rising like a rocket, fueled with science, teamwork, and dreams. December can’t come soon enough for the Gaganyaan launch!

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Tags: Gaganyaan, Isro, Vyommitra, Spacex, International space station, Axiom-4,