Have Over 7,200 Tests Really Been Completed? Says ISRO Chief V. Narayanan

Kolkata, May 23 (NationPress) The Chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), V. Narayanan, announced that a remarkable 7,200 tests related to space missions have been successfully conducted, with an additional 3,000 tests still in progress. This highlights the significance of the year 2025, which has been designated as the Gaganyaan year.

Addressing attendees at an event in Kolkata on Thursday, V. Narayanan emphasized, “This year holds immense importance for us. We have named it the Gaganyaan year. Prior to launching humans into space, we plan to execute three uncrewed missions, with the first uncrewed mission scheduled for this year. To date, we have completed over 7,200 tests and approximately 3,000 tests are still pending; our teams are working around the clock.”

“As you are aware, this year has witnessed significant achievements. On January 6, we released a year's worth of scientific data gathered by the Aditya L1 spacecraft. The Aditya L1 is unique, positioning India among only four nations to launch a satellite for solar studies. A wealth of scientific information was shared with the research community on January 6. Additionally, on January 16, we celebrated another critical milestone,” he communicated to IANS.

The Gaganyaan Programme, sanctioned in December 2018, envisions human space travel to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and aims to develop necessary technologies for long-term human space exploration by India.

V. Narayanan expressed satisfaction regarding the successful conclusion of the SpaDeX mission.

He stated that ISRO accounted for ten kilos of fuel for this mission.

Moreover, he revealed that several missions are planned for 2025, including a NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite, which will be launched by India's own launch vehicle.

“Today, we are pleased to announce that the SpaDeX mission has concluded successfully. Our original plan required ten kilos of fuel, but we accomplished the mission using only half that amount, leaving us with extra fuel for future experiments. This year, we anticipate numerous significant missions, including a NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite and a commercial communication satellite,” he added.

According to ISRO's official website, the SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstration endeavor utilizing two small spacecraft launched by PSLV to showcase in-space docking.

The ISRO chief indicated that by December 2025, the first uncrewed mission, named “Vyommitra”, will be launched, followed by two additional uncrewed missions.

Conversely, the organization aims for its first human space flight in the first quarter of 2027.

“By December this year, we will launch the first uncrewed mission, followed by two more uncrewed missions. Our goal is to achieve the inaugural human space flight by early 2027. In fact, we have a launch scheduled almost every month this year. The first uncrewed mission, featuring a robot named 'Vyommitra', is set to launch by the year's end,” V. Narayanan told reporters.