ISRO Gaganyaan Mission On Track For 2025, Final Test Flight Planned Soon With Robot Vyom Mitra

The government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore to a Venture Fund for space startups.

Gaganyaan Mission Update: India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, the country’s first human spaceflight programme, is set to undergo a final test flight with robot Vyom Mitra by the end of 2024 or early next year, paving the way for the first Indian astronaut to be launched into space in 2025, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. Speaking on the progress of the mission, he underlined the government’s strategic commitment to the space sector as a focal area in its third term.

"...we are trying to have the final test flight with the Robot Vyom Mitra before the end of this year or beginning next year so that the first Indian human being may be sent to Space through Gaganyaan during next year i.e., 2025," he said.

Rs 1,000 Cr Allocated To Venture Fund For Space Start-Ups

Briefing the media Sunday, Singh also announced that Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated to a Venture Fund designed to propel India's space startups. 

The Venture Fund forms part of a broader policy shift that began four years ago, opening India’s space industry to private enterprises. This move led to the formation of New India Space Limited (NISL), a public sector unit dedicated to space ventures, and IN-SPACe, an interface facilitating private sector involvement in space activities. 

The results, according to the government, have been transformative, with space startups in India surging from single digit to over 200, and many them attaining global recognition. 

Singh highlighted notable achievements, such as the launch of India’s first private rocket, Vikram-S, by one of these emerging startups.

He also reflected on the advances made by India in the space sector. Despite starting nearly a decade after the United States sent the first human to the Moon, he said, India’s recent success with Chandrayaan-3, reaching the Moon’s South Pole, exemplifies the nation's evolution into a formidable global space power. 

Singh also noted that India’s space sector has attracted significant foreign interest, riding on the 100% FDI provision allowed by the government in the space sector.