Tue May 06 12:25:10 UTC 2025: Here’s a summarized version of the article, rewritten as a news report:
**Headline: ISRO Pushes Gaganyaan Launch to 2027, Cites Pandemic and Rigorous Testing**
**New Delhi – May 6, 2025:** The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced today that its ambitious Gaganyaan mission, aiming to send Indian astronauts into space, is now slated for the first quarter of 2027. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan revealed the revised timeline at a press conference, attributing the delay to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for extensive testing and safety protocols.
The Gaganyaan mission, initially planned for 2022, will be preceded by three test launches: two uncrewed and one featuring the robot “Vyom-mitra.” Narayanan emphasized the complexity of the mission, highlighting the involvement of 10,000 people over five years and the development of 1 million lines of code to ensure crew safety and successful return.
In addition to Gaganyaan, Narayanan discussed India’s collaboration with Axiom Space for a private mission to the International Space Station. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is scheduled to travel to the ISS in early June (though Axiom states May 29), a trip for which India has paid Axiom ₹550 crore. This mission will provide valuable experience for future Indian space endeavors.
Narayanan also highlighted the significance of the recent successful space docking experiment (Spadex) and its implications for the future Bharatiya Antariksh Station, planned for 2035. Docking technology will be crucial for the space station, the Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return mission, and India’s aspirations for a manned mission to the Moon in 2040. ISRO aims to conduct a space docking experiment to the International Space Station and send the first module to the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2028.
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