India Sending Humanoid Robot to Space

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch a humanoid robot into space as part of its Gaganyaan mission, its first human spaceflight mission.

The much-delayed mission is back on track after ISRO successfully landed its probe on the moon’s South Pole, a world first.

According to the ISRO, the Gaganyaan project was established to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a three-person crew to an orbit of 248 miles for a three-day mission and then bring them back to Earth safely, landing in Indian sea waters. 

Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, wrote on X (previously Twitter) that trials for the mission are set to begin in October, with plans underway to launch a female-looking humanoid robot dubbed Vyommitra into space.

Singh unveiled a glimpse of Vyommitra back in 2020 when the mission was first established.

The robot will be used to test the safety and efficacy of the crew module before any humans are sent into space.

Vyommitra can reportedly perform several tasks, including monitoring module parameters, sending alerts and performing life-support operations. It can also act as a companion to human astronauts, recognizing people and responding to questions. 

With its lunar mission successful, the ISRO is now embarking on its more ambitious missions that have been in the pipeline for some time.

Related:India’s Lunar Rover Begins 14-Day Mission

Gaganyaan was initially planned for 2022, but was delayed due to the pandemic and now has an estimated launch timeline for 2024. 

Also in the works is Aditya L1, a mission to launch India’s first space-based observatory to study the Sun and its surrounding atmosphere. This has an anticipated launch date of Sept 2 and will take an estimated four months to reach its destination.