The Indian Space Research Organisation’s ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight program appears to be witnessing a timeline adjustment.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has indicated that the first uncrewed Gaganyaan flight, designated G1, is now likely to take place in March 2026 instead of the previously planned December 2025 timeframe.

Speaking after the successful launch of the LVM3-M5 flight that deployed the Indian Navy’s CMS‑03 communications satellite, Narayanan explained that ISRO is still targeting the end of the current financial year for the G1 mission. However, the final schedule will depend on the availability of launch windows and the operational workload at Sriharikota.

The Gaganyaan project aims to lift Indian astronauts—designated as “Vyomnauts”—to low Earth orbit using fully indigenous technology. Before the crewed missions named H1 and H2, ISRO plans three uncrewed qualification flights—G1, G2 and G3—each intended to progressively validate key systems such as life support, crew module re‑entry, and abort mechanisms.

The G1 mission will be the maiden integrated development flight of India’s human‑rated launch vehicle and orbital module. This will include the Crew Module (CM), Service Module (SM), and the Crew Escape System (CES). ISRO began the stacking and integration campaign for G1 in 2024, testing flight‑ready stages and human‑rating standards on the LVM3 platform.

One of the key reasons behind the possible delay is the capacity limitation at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The spaceport currently operates two main pads: the First Launch Pad (FLP) for smaller rockets such as PSLV and SSLV, and the Second Launch Pad (SLP), which services the larger GSLV and LVM3 vehicles.

The same SLP is now scheduled to handle the LVM3‑M6 mission in mid‑December 2025. This flight will carry two Bluebird communication satellites for the American firm AST Spacemobile. Attempting two successive LVM3 launches within the same month from one pad would stretch operational teams to unprecedented limits. Hence, ISRO may prioritise the commercial mission first, pushing Gaganyaan G1 further into early 2026.

ISRO has achieved several major milestones leading up to G1. These include successful pad abort and crew escape system tests, high‑altitude re-entry capsule assessments, and the completed qualification of critical subsystems such as parachutes, avionics, and vibration damping structures.

The LVM3 human‑rated variant has passed multiple vibration and acoustic environment tests, while the Orbital Module underwent vacuum, separation, and thermal balance trials earlier this year. Integration of the full stack is expected to commence at the Vehicle Assembly Building once the SLP becomes available post‑commercial flights.

If the launch occurs in March 2026, it will still meet the target of achieving the flight within the financial year 2025‑26, fulfilling ISRO’s stated goal. The G1 flight will carry a fully instrumented Crew Module to validate environmental conditions and flight performance rather than human passengers.

The subsequent G2 and G3 flights will test extended duration missions and in‑orbit manoeuvring before India’s first crewed orbital launch, tentatively set for 2027. Despite the logistical constraints, ISRO continues to maintain confidence in achieving a smooth developmental progression for all the missions leading up to India’s maiden manned spaceflight.

Agencies