Human spaceflight
Gaganyaan targets mid-2028 crewed flight after three tests
An ISRO propulsion director put the crewed target beyond the chairman’s earlier 2027 aim; the reported 95% test estimate had been given before.
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India's Gaganyaan programme is now targeting its first crewed flight for mid-2028, according to comments by ISRO Propulsion Complex director Narayanan Appu reported by The Times of India. ISRO chairman V. Narayanan had given a 2027 target in December 2025. In June, he indicated the flight could slip into 2028; Appu's remarks put a more specific date on that possible shift.
Speaking in Coimbatore on October 5, Appu said the first uncrewed spacecraft test, G1, was planned by the end of 2026, with G2 and G3 to follow at roughly six-month intervals before a crewed mission. These remain targets, not completed flights or fixed launch dates. The end-2026 G1 aim had also been reiterated by Narayanan in September.
Appu estimated that about 95% of the programme's initial phase tests were complete. That percentage is not a newly reached milestone: Narayanan had given an approximately 95% estimate in the December interview. Neither account defines a comparable inventory of tests behind the figure, so the two statements do not establish how much work advanced between them.
ISRO's July updates documented separate qualification work on crew-module systems and the main parachute, while its July SOLVE motor firing supported a vehicle intended for further parachute trials. The earlier SOLVE test did not complete those integrated trials. The next decisive programme milestone in the reported sequence is the G1 uncrewed flight.
Reporting trail
Primary sources
The Times of India95% of initial phase tests for Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme complete: Isro officialtimesofindia.indiatimes.com
India TodayISRO joins big boys of space with heavy-lift launch successindiatoday.in
The Indian ExpressGaganyaan test flight delay: Will it stall India’s first human spaceflight launch?indianexpress.com
India TodayIsro chief reaffirms maiden Gaganyaan uncrewed launch by end of 2026indiatoday.in
ISROSuccessful accomplishment of Major Qualification Tests Crew Module systems of Gaganyaan Missionisro.gov.in
ISROISRO successfully conducts Integrated Main Parachute Air Drop Test (IMAT) for Gaganyaan Programmeisro.gov.in
ISROISRO conducts ground test for new sub-orbital solid motor-based test vehicleisro.gov.in
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An ISRO propulsion director put the crewed target beyond the chairman’s earlier 2027 aim; the reported 95% test estimate had been given before. Read the full report: https://www.spaceexploration.in/news/gaganyaan-test-readiness-october-2026 #SpaceExplorationNews #SpaceNews #SpaceMissions
