Gaganyaan’s unmanned mission likely in March next year; ISRO to track from Pacific, Atlantic oceans

Gaganyaan’s unmanned mission is likely to begin as early as March next year to prepare for India’s most ambitious space project, its manned mission in 2026.

According to a CNN-News18 report, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will send ships carrying scientists to be stationed at observation points in the Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans to monitor the unmanned mission.

The success of this unmanned mission would mark a milestone in India’s history and could determine the launch of Gaganyaan’s manned mission in 2026. Four astronauts are currently in training for a three-day mission during which they will travel to space, orbit at an altitude of 400 km, and then return to Earth, culminating with a landing in Indian territorial waters.

“ISRO under Government of India is scheduling a scientific experiment tentatively during the period between 1 March 2025 and 31 August 2025. Tentative schedule of mission is slated as 1 March 2025," the documents accessed by CNN-News18 state referring to ‘Gaganyaan G1 Mission’, described as an unmanned mission from Sriharikota.

Eight ISRO scientists will be on board each of these ships, which could sail for at least two weeks to reach their locations.

How will the Gaganyaan unmanned mission work?

According to the report, two ships, one each from the Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, will be deployed with full equipment to support crew operations. ISRO is set to establish hybrid communication circuits linking ships with MOX-ISTRAC and SCC-ISTRAC in Bengaluru, both pivotal in the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

A shipment including a shipborne terminal (SBT), electronic equipment, MV-SAT antennas, and related subsystems will be dispatched from ISTRAC for installation on chartered vessels.

“This scientific experiment, being a new development and considering the system readiness, the date of experiment is scheduled between the above period of 1 March 2025 and 31 August 2025," CNN-News18 reported citing the documents.

The ISRO ISTRAC consignment will be dispatched to an observation point in the North Atlantic Ocean from the closest Indian port, heading to a port in New York via cargo shipment. 

Following this, a chartered vessel will embark from New York to the designated location in the North Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 3,000 km, with an estimated journey time of 13 to 14 days, according to the documents accessed by the media outlet.

An ISRO team comprising eight officials will board the vessel in New York and proceed to the observation point. The mission's tracking activities are scheduled to last no more than three days.

CNN-News18 also said that all ISRO's equipment will be set up on the vessel's deck, overseen by a team of scientists. This team will accompany the equipment on the chartered boat, providing support for the mission and potentially operating the equipment daily en route to the observation point.

The vessel is scheduled to arrive at the observation point in both the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at least two days prior to the mission's start date. 

It will remain at the observation point for three days, and throughout the mission support period, the dynamic positioning system will be activated for several sessions, totaling a maximum of approximately 15 hours.