India’s private space sector is preparing to take a new step in astronaut training and human-spaceflight research, with Aaka Space planning the country’s first underwater human spaceflight analogue mission in Gujarat, The New Indian Express reported.

The initiative is designed to recreate many of the operational, physiological and psychological conditions experienced by astronauts during space missions.

The program will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase will involve a 24-hour trial mission in a controlled environment in Gujarat during December.

A second and more demanding phase is scheduled for March 2027 and will last 72 hours, although the final location for that mission has not yet been decided.

Aaka Space has previously conducted the Ladakh Human Analog Mission, which focused on simulating conditions associated with future human space exploration.

According to Astha Jhala, Founder and CEO of Aaka Space, the underwater mission is intended to create a high-fidelity habitat capable of reproducing a wide range of challenges linked to human spaceflight.

The effort comes as India advances towards crewed space operations through ISRO’s Gaganyaan program and longer-term habitation goals linked to the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

As these programs progress, demand is increasing for sophisticated astronaut-training environments and research platforms capable of studying human performance in extreme conditions.

Underwater habitats are widely regarded as some of the closest Earth-based analogues to the space environment.

Within such habitats, crews must cope with isolation, confinement, dependence on engineered life-support systems, limited mobility, altered spatial orientation and operational risks.

These conditions closely resemble many of the challenges faced by astronauts aboard spacecraft and during missions in space.

The project is also expected to contribute valuable knowledge for the forthcoming Samudrayaan mission, India’s ambitious human deep-ocean exploration program.

Alongside cooperation with ISRO, Aaka Space also plans to formalise collaboration with the Indian Navy for the mission.

Research from underwater habitat programs worldwide has shown that confined environments can significantly affect cardiovascular health, respiratory responses, fatigue levels, stress, sleep patterns and cognitive performance.

Such effects can become more pronounced when atmospheric parameters, including carbon dioxide concentrations, are not carefully managed within enclosed habitats.

The mission will therefore provide an opportunity to study both human adaptation and habitat performance under demanding operational conditions.

By integrating underwater engineering with human-spaceflight analogue research, Aaka Space aims to support the development of advanced extreme-environment research infrastructure in India.

The initiative also reflects a broader international trend in which underwater habitats are used to prepare astronauts for future long-duration missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon and eventually Mars, helping improve crew readiness, operational procedures and life-support technologies before they are deployed in space.