ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan announced that India’s first human spaceflight project, the Gaganyaan mission, is about 90% complete and progressing smoothly. He explained that the mission involves several complex developments — including human-rating the rocket, building the orbital module, creating the environmental control and safety systems, and developing the crew escape and parachute systems. Narayanan said three uncrewed test missions will take place before sending astronauts to space. The first of these missions will carry Vyommitra, a humanoid robot designed to simulate human conditions in space. ISRO aims to complete the crewed launch by early 2027. Earlier, on August 24, 2025, ISRO successfully conducted the first integrated air drop test for the Gaganyaan programme at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. This test verified the parachute-based deceleration system, which ensures a safe landing of the crew module during re-entry. Narayanan explained that during this test, a simulated module was lifted by a helicopter to a height of about three kilometres, and nine parachutes deployed in perfect coordination to achieve a smooth splashdown — a crucial step toward the final human mission.
