ISRO Updates and Developments
Gaganyaan Mission Progress
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, V. Narayanan, announced that about 90% of the development work on the Gaganyaan mission is complete. The mission involves:
- Human rating of the rocket.
- Development of life support and crew escape systems.
- Creation of human-centric products.
The crewed mission is scheduled for 2027, with three uncrewed missions planned beforehand. The first uncrewed mission, featuring the humanoid Vyomitra, is expected to launch by the end of the current year. The mission aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of three to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, landing them safely in Indian waters.
NISAR Satellite Update
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, launched on July 30, 2025, is reportedly healthy. It is expected to become operational in 10-15 days. Key features include:
- Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band.
- Usage of NASA’s 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna, integrated with ISRO’s modified I3K satellite bus.
- All-weather, day-and-night earth observation capabilities with data collection at 12-day intervals.
NVS-02 Satellite Issue
The NVS-02 satellite experienced a technical glitch due to a valve malfunction, preventing its intended orbit raising operations. It currently remains in an elliptical orbit. ISRO has completed a failure analysis and will present the committee's recommendations to the government.