India prepares for a major leap in space as ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission boosts global standing

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The year 2026 is set to become a major milestone in the history of human spaceflight. India and the United States are preparing for two landmark missions that are expected to reshape the future and pace of space exploration. While India’s Gaganyaan programme will place the country among a select group with independent human spaceflight capability, the US Artemis-II mission will take humans beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in nearly five decades.

Under its ambitious Gaganyaan programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) aims to launch the first uncrewed orbital test mission, G1, around March 2026. The mission will be launched using the human-rated LVM3 (Gaganyaan-MK3) rocket and is considered India’s first major orbital test ahead of a crewed mission.

The G1 mission will carry Vyommitra, a humanoid robot designed to simulate human actions and responses in space. The spacecraft will operate in a low Earth orbit of about 300 to 400 kilometres, allowing ISRO to thoroughly test all critical systems before sending astronauts.

Gaganyaan is more than just a space mission for India; it represents proof of a fully indigenous human spaceflight capability. The mission will test key systems including life-support, safe atmospheric re-entry of the crew module, parachute-based sea recovery, mission control, and communication networks.

If G1 and subsequent tests are successful, India will join the small group of nations capable of independently sending humans into space and bringing them back safely. This will open new opportunities for a future Indian space station, private human space services, and commercial space missions, while also reducing dependence on foreign technology.

Meanwhile, the US space agency NASA is preparing for its much-awaited Artemis-II mission, targeted for launch by April 2026. The mission will carry four astronauts on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon. This will mark humanity’s first venture beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo-17 in 1972.

Artemis-II will serve as a critical test flight for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The mission will evaluate deep-space navigation and communication, radiation protection, long-duration life-support systems, and mission operations far from Earth.

During the mission, astronauts will travel nearly 5,000 nautical miles beyond the Moon, making it the farthest human spaceflight ever undertaken. This mission will lay the foundation for future lunar landings, permanent Moon bases, and eventually, missions to Mars.

Together, Gaganyaan and Artemis-II clearly signal that human spaceflight is entering a new, multi-polar era in the 2030s. While India strengthens its presence in low Earth orbit, the United States is preparing a return to deep space with international partners.

The technologies developed through these missions—such as crew safety, spacecraft systems, mission management, and long-term life support—will shape the future of commercial spaceflight, national space stations, and deep-space exploration.

In this context, 2026 is not just the year of two missions, but a defining moment that could set a new direction for humanity’s journey into space.