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Mission Commander
Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair
Indian Air Force — Group Captain
Senior IAF test pilot and commander of India's first crewed spaceflight. Trained at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia.
Space HubISRO Human Space Programme — Active Development
Gaganyaan Mission
India Reaches for the Stars
Gaganyaan — meaning "sky vehicle" — is India's first human spaceflight mission. Three Indian Air Force astronauts will orbit Earth at 400 km altitude for 3 days aboard the LVM3 rocket, making India the 4th nation in history to independently send humans to space.
Mission Parameters
Launch Vehicle
LVM3-M (GSLV Mk III)Launch Site
SDSC SHAR, SriharikotaOrbit
LEO — 400 km circularMission Duration
3 daysCrew Size
3 GaganautsCrew Module
Orbital Module (OM)India's Astronauts
Meet the Gaganauts
Four Indian Air Force test pilots designated for India's historic crewed spaceflight mission.
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Mission Commander
Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair
Indian Air Force — Group Captain
Senior IAF test pilot and commander of India's first crewed spaceflight. Trained at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia.
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Pilot
Group Captain Ajit Krishnan
Indian Air Force — Group Captain
IAF test pilot and aerospace engineer. One of India's four Gaganyaan-designated Gaganauts trained at Russian space centre.
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Mission Specialist
Group Captain Angad Pratap
Indian Air Force — Group Captain
IAF test pilot designated as Gaganyaan mission specialist. Completed cosmonaut training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
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Mission Specialist / AXIOM-4 Crew
Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla
Indian Air Force — Wing Commander
India's next astronaut — flew to the ISS on Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission (June 2025). Designated mission specialist for Gaganyaan-1.
Mission Roadmap
Gaganyaan Timeline
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2018
Gaganyaan programme announced by PM Modi
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2022
All 4 Gaganauts complete training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre
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2023
Crew Module recovery trials & parachute system tested
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2023
TV-D1 abort test (Test Vehicle Development) — successful
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2024
Vyommitra humanoid robot qualification
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2025
Shubhanshu Shukla launches on ISS Ax-4 mission
2025
G1 uncrewed mission (Vyommitra) — flight qualification
Upcoming2026
Gaganyaan-1 crewed orbital mission — ISRO target window
UpcomingFrequently Asked Questions
Gaganyaan FAQ
QWhat does Gaganyaan mean?
Gaganyaan (गगनयान) is a Sanskrit word meaning 'Sky Vehicle' or 'Heavenly Craft'. It represents India's ambition to send humans to space independently — a goal announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2018.
QHow is Gaganyaan different from other crewed missions?
Gaganyaan is entirely indigenous — designed and built by ISRO using domestically developed crew module, service module, launch vehicle (LVM3), life support systems, and astronaut suits. India aims to be only the 4th country (after USA, Russia, China) to independently achieve crewed orbital spaceflight.
QWhat is the budget of the Gaganyaan mission?
The Gaganyaan programme has an approved budget of ₹9,023 crore (approximately $1.1 billion USD) — making it one of the most cost-effective human spaceflight programmes in history, compared to tens of billions spent by other space agencies.
QWill India build a space station after Gaganyaan?
Yes. India plans to launch the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) — a 20-tonne modular space station — by 2035. Gaganyaan will develop the foundational human spaceflight capabilities required for this mission.