New Delhi: India is all set to launch its next ambitious mission, Gaganyaan, with preparations in advanced stages for precursor trials starting in September. There will be two preliminary missions before the actual human mission goes up to space in the second half of 2024.

Top scientists are working on an unmanned mission in September and later a mission mimicking humans through a robot early next year. The female robot has been named Vyommitra.

Preparing For ’24

The first preliminary unmanned mission will go in September. Once we succeed, a second trial mission with a female robot, Vyommitra, will be sent... a human spaceflight will go in second half of 2024. —Jitendra Singh, Union minister.

Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bring them back safely to earth by landing in Indian sea waters. Precursor unmanned missions will prove the safety and reliability of all systems before humans are sent into space.