The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has officially declared 2025 as the "Gaganyaan Year," marking a pivotal phase in India's ambitious human spaceflight program. The Gaganyaan Programme, approved in December 2018, is designed to send Indian astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and to develop the essential technologies for sustained human space exploration by India.

As of May 2025, ISRO chief V Narayanan announced that over 7,200 tests have been successfully completed, with approximately 3,000 tests still pending. The organisation is working around the clock to ensure all critical systems and subsystems meet the stringent requirements for human spaceflight.

A significant milestone highlighted by the ISRO chief is the successful completion of the SpaDeX mission, a cost-effective technology demonstrator that used two small spacecraft launched by PSLV to showcase in-space docking capabilities.

Notably, the mission was accomplished using only half the allocated fuel, demonstrating ISRO’s efficiency and technological prowess. This success paves the way for further experiments and technology demonstrations in the coming months.

2025 is set to be a year of intense activity for ISRO, with multiple important missions planned. These include the launch of a NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite using an Indian launch vehicle, as well as commercial and communication satellite missions. The Gaganyaan program itself is structured to include three uncrewed missions before a crewed flight.

The first of these uncrewed missions, featuring the humanoid robot "Vyommitra," is scheduled for December 2025. This will be followed by two more uncrewed missions, all serving as critical steps toward validating the systems and safety measures required for human spaceflight.

ISRO has set an ambitious timeline, targeting the first human spaceflight in the first quarter of 2027. The organisation is maintaining a high tempo, with almost monthly launches planned throughout 2025.

This rigorous schedule underscores the significance of 2025 as a transformative year for India’s space ambitions, positioning the nation closer than ever to joining the elite group of countries capable of independent human spaceflight.

With the completion of thousands of tests, the success of key technology demonstrators like SpaDeX, and the launch of the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission on the horizon, 2025 stands as a landmark year for ISRO and India's journey toward human space exploration.

Agencies