Bengaluru, August 1. Indian Human Spaceflight Programme is a national endeavor led by ISRO and aims to extend the human presence across solar system, starting with human spaceflight missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and achieving Indian Crewed Lunar Landing by 2040. This requires undertaking systematic studies to generate necessary Indian subject data for addressing various physiological, psychological and operational challenges associated with human space flight missions. In this regard, ground based analog missions in environment simulating certain aspects of a typical human space mission provide an opportunity to understand the human health and performance risks.
Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO is leading this endeavor for ISRO’s upcoming human space missions. HSFC team led the Ladakh Human Analog Mission (LHAM) in November, 2024 as well as partnered in the recently concluded ten-day Isolation Study ‘Anugami’ involving ISRO’s Gaganyatri in July, 2025. Continuing this endeavor, on 31st July, 2025, Dr V Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space & Chairman, ISRO inaugurated the Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) analog mission setup in Tso Kar Valley, Ladakh
During his inaugural address, Dr. V.Narayanan stressed that this analog mission is more than a simulation, rather it is a rehearsal for the future. He also noted that in line with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji’s vision, the space sector has been opened up to enable greater participation from Indian industry. This analog mission with an industry partner showcases the new era of public-private synergy that is taking shape in Indian space ecosystem.
Post inauguration, industry partner will be organising 10-day (from 1st to 10th August, 2025) HOPE analog mission with the shortlisted experiments from partnering national institutions such as IIST & RGCB, Trivandrum; IIT Hyderabad; IIT, Bombay; and the Institute for Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore. Investigators from these institutes will examine epigenetic, genomic, physiological and psychological responses of two analog mission crew members and validate health-monitoring protocols, planetary surface operations, and refine sample collection and microbial analysis techniques.
The valuable data generated through these Analog Missions organized by HSFC will form the basis for design of protocols and infrastructure for future Indian Human Exploration Missions by providing key insights into technology performance, crew workflows, and environmental adaptation.
HOPE is a specially designed Dia 8 metre Habitat Module for crew living and a Dia 5 metre Utility Module for operations and support systems which are interconnected for seamless workflow. Tso Kar valley was specifically selected for this analog mission due to its striking environmental parallels with early Mars, due to high UV flux, low air pressure, cold extremes and saline permafrost.
