The cosmos is calling, and India is ready to answer. The year 2027 has been marked as a turning point in the nation’s space exploration narrative, with two of the most pioneering missions in the pipeline—Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan.
During a recent visit to the Central Tool Room and Training Centre in Bhubaneswar, where crucial components for space missions are crafted, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan spoke with quiet pride and clarity. “Chandrayaan-4 will be ISRO’s most complex and ambitious lunar mission so far. We plan to collect and bring back samples from the Moon’s surface to Earth,” he said.
This mission aims to showcase a series of advanced space capabilities never attempted by India before, including robotic lunar sampling, launch from the Moon’s surface, docking in lunar orbit, and safe sample return to Earth. A technical marvel, this endeavour will include four modules—transfer, lander, ascender and re-entry. The mission also reflects Narayanan’s academic pursuit, with a flow control device from his PhD forming a part of the cryogenic engine.
Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first human spaceflight mission, is also set for early 2027. After three test flights, one of which is due this year, Indian astronauts will orbit Earth, testing life-support, mission safety, and endurance. This leap will mark India’s formal entry into human space travel.
Looking further ahead, ISRO is collaborating with Japan’s space agency for Chandrayaan-5, or LUPEX, targeting the Moon’s mysterious south pole. The mission’s 250 kg rover, a giant step from the earlier 25 kg Pragyan, will explore the shadowed craters for water and test survival in lunar nights. The 6400 kg payload is expected to operate for over 100 days.
Narayanan also revealed a joint satellite mission with NASA this August aboard ISRO’s MK 3 rocket, integrating 30 cutting-edge innovations like quantum communication and electric propulsion.
ISRO is expanding launch capacity with a third pad and second launch complex. Meanwhile, plans are in motion to establish a 52-tonne Indian space station by 2035, the first module of which is to launch in 2028.
He briefly acknowledged ISRO’s participation in Operation Sindoor and emphasized how its 56 satellites serve national security, agriculture, education, climate, and surveillance needs.
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