India’s first astronaut to live and work on the International Space Station, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, has shared fresh insights into the progress of the nation’s ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
Speaking at the India International Space Conclave 2025 in New Delhi, the astronaut confirmed the mission’s upcoming timeline. He announced that India is targeting early next year for the G1 (uncrewed) launch, followed by the H1 (crewed) launch in 2027.
The astronaut highlighted that his experience in space is now being used to refine the entire program. “Gaganyaan is a developmental program, and since my return, the experiences are being used as a template to compare what we were doing earlier with what I experienced,” he said. “All systems are being revised, and the debrief is underway.”
Addressing questions about astronaut preparation, he clarified that training is a continuous process. “It’s a grey area to say training is not happening. When you debrief and evolve the system, the training is underway. In a way, we have been training for Gaganyaan for years, and a formal process will begin very soon,” he explained.
Reflecting on his historic space travel, he described crossing the Karman line, the boundary marking the edge of space, as a profoundly meaningful experience. “When you cross the Karman line, you get a number. I was the 634th human to be in space. That number didn’t feel significant until I returned and met students in India who said they didn’t know much about the International Space Station until I went. That’s when I realised the meaning of that experience, it inspires young minds to dream.”
Astronaut noted his continued close work with the National Space Agency on the Gaganyaan mission and his involvement in outreach to encourage interest in science and technology. He sees widespread commitment to India’s space goals, saying, “The leadership is committed to pushing space in India, and everyone, from National Space Agency scientists to startups pioneering the private space sector, is excited.”
The astronaut called on citizens to support India’s long term space vision, which includes setting up an Indian space station and eventually landing Indians on the Moon. “These are bold dreams… To achieve them, all of us must be active participants in making India a developed nation by 2047.”
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