# Gaganyaan-1

Gaganyaan-1 (from Sanskrit: gagana, "celestial" and yāna, "craft, vehicle") will be the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch tentatively planned for March 1, 2025.

## Background

The launch was originally scheduled for December 2020, then in December 2021, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight plan was finally ready by April 2022 and the launch is expected to take place in early 2025, after the TV-D1, TV-D2, TV-D3 and TV-D4. It was proposed in April 2022 that the crew module should be depressurized, something kept in the final planning.
The first orbiter module adaptor assembly (OMA) was supplied by Kineco Kaman Composites on 23 December 2023. The OMA is a conical structure with a diameter of 4 meters, composed of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. It is combined with the equipment bay shroud and crew escape module. With the successful qualification of the rocket's engines in February 2024, the mission was scheduled for December 2024, following which it was rescheduled to February 2025.

## Mission objectives

The Gaganyaan spacecraft will be launched, with the humanoid robot Vyommitra, by a Human-rated LVM 3 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre and inserted into a 170 x 408 km orbit. The circularisation maneuver will be performed at the third orbit. The landing should follow the same pattern as the TV-D1.
After this mission, ISRO will perform four more abort tests before launching Gaganyaan 2, carrying the humanoid robot Vyommitra, which was later decided that it will also fly on G-1.

## Mission History
### Pre launch processing

The L110 stage for the upgraded LVM3 vehicle arrived at Satish Dhawan Space Center in July 2024, followed by the S200 boosters. A Different Upper stage, the C-32, will be used in lieu of the C-25 for this mission. The C-32 underwent heavy tests for the flight.
The Crew module was tested and checked out from its propulsion and mechanical systems testing phase at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the service module was tested at URSC.G1 will carry Vyomitra, and also an unpressurized engineering model of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) system.
ISRO is planning to place chartered ships carrying a group of eight scientists to be stationed at observation points in the Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, to monitor the unmanned mission.A consignment with a shipborne terminal (SBT), electronic equipment, MV-SAT antennas and its associated subsystems will be sent abroad from ISTRAC for deployment on these chartered ships. This is similar to what was done for the launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission. By December 2024, all components of the first Human Rated LVM-3 has reached SDSC. The spacecraft was also reported as in its final stages of Integration.The ground station and associated infrastructure was also built before launch.
The first segment of solid motor was transferred from the production factory to the launch complex on December 13, 2024.
The Crew Module Propulsion System (CMPS), a bi-propellant Reaction Control System (RCS) enabling three-axis control, has been successfully incorporated into the crew module by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) on 21 January 2025. The crew module for Gaganyaan-1 has been shipped out. LPSC has also integrated the Crew Module Uprighting System (CMUS) supplied by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. CMPS is vital for descent and atmospheric entry. The CMPS has a propellant feed system with accompanying fluid control components, a pressurization system with high-pressure gas bottles, and 12 thrusters, each of which can produce 100N of force. Additional integration activities, such as avionics package assembly and electrical harnessing inspections, will be performed on the Gaganyaan-1 crew module at VSSC. For the last stage of Orbital Module integration, the crew module will be delivered to U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).

### Payloads

As the Mission serves as a precursor, no astronaut will launch aboard the flight. Instead Scientific Instruments and the Vyommitra humanoid robot will launch aboard the flight.
Scientists from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and researchers from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad in collaboration with IIST are planning to launch Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster) on board the mission.