ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has achieved a milestone in space exploration: The Gaganyaan Mission, India’s first human spaceflight program. To ensure its success, ISRO is conducting an “analog mission” on Earth, which will take place in Ladakh. This mission will allow scientists to study the physical and mental challenges faced by humans in space.

What is an Analog Space Mission?

An analog space mission helps scientists observe the physical, mental, and operational conditions of space while remaining on Earth. This mission will include isolation, confinement, and limited communication. Analog missions are important because they let scientists explore space environments and test physiological, psychological, and technical issues. The analog mission focuses on preparing astronauts for long-duration space exploration, life support, human adaptability, and emergency strategies. This mission is part of ISRO’s Gaganyaan program, which aims to send astronauts to low-Earth orbit for several days. By conducting an analog space mission, ISRO can train astronauts and help them be well-prepared and equipped for emergencies.

Aim of the Analog Mission

Why Ladakh has been chosen as the prime location?

The Indian Space Research Organisation has opted for Ladakh as the site for the analog mission for several reasons. Ladakh’s climate, environment, and geography make it an ideal site for the mission, as it closely resembles the conditions of a lunar or Martian environment. Ladakh has been chosen for its extreme environment, high altitude, low oxygen levels, and extremely cold conditions. Ladakh’s challenging atmosphere allows scientists to test human psychology and the environmental adaptability of astronauts. The isolation experience in Ladakh is similar to that in space, helping astronauts and scientists predict the effects of long-term isolation on a mission. The Government of India has invested in Ladakh to make it accessible for space missions, providing logistical support to ensure smooth operations.

BENGALURU: Isro on Friday said India’s first Analogue space mission kicks off in Leh, in a collaborative effort by its Human Spaceflight Centre, Aaka Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and supported by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
“…This mission will simulate life in an interplanetary habitat to tackle the challenges of a base station beyond Earth,” Isro, which is in talks with multiple academic groups for a larger analogue research project, said.
Aaka, which has initiated the country’s first Mars and Moon Analogue mission in Ladakh is conducting a month-long project in partnership with Isro and other partners.
Aaka founder Aastha Jhala, told TOI: “The habitat prototype, developed by Aaka Space Studio, features advanced technologies including an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) preparation zone, circadian lighting systems, and hydroponics for food production. A stand-alone solar power system and comprehensive environmental monitoring ensure the habitat’s self-sufficiency in extreme conditions.”
Led by Aastha, the mission aims at leveraging Ladakh’s unique environmental characteristics that mirror Mars-like conditions. The region’s high altitude provides only 40% of sea-level oxygen, while its extreme temperature variations from 15°C to -10°C closely simulate the challenging conditions astronauts might face on Mars or the Moon.
“This mission represents a crucial step in developing sustainable human habitats for space exploration,” Aastha said.
The research conducted during this mission will not only test the habitat’s physical systems but also study human adaptation to isolation and extreme environments. The findings will be shared with the global scientific community, contributing to the advancement of space habitation technology.
However, this is only the first such mission, and will not be India’s only mission in analogue research and findings from multiple such endeavours are expected to play a key role in India’s future endeavours of having a more sustainable presence on Moon and Mars, in line with global efforts.

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission is set to provide unprecedented insight into the Moon’s hidden water. Built by Lockheed Martin and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this small satellite aims to locate, measure, and understand water on the lunar surface. Launching next year, the Trailblazer will play a pivotal role in discovering the forms and behaviours of water in areas of the Moon where it has long been theorised but rarely observed.

Mapping Lunar Ice and Water

With two scientific instruments aboard, the Lunar Trailblazer will map and identify surface water and ice on the Moon. The High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) is a sophisticated infrared spectrometer capable of detecting water in various states. It can peer into permanently shadowed craters, using sunlight reflections from crater walls to view areas untouched by light for billions of years. The second instrument, the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM), developed by the University of Oxford and funded by the UK Space Agency, will assess the thermal properties and surface minerals of these regions. Together, they offer a dual perspective that promises to deepen our understanding of the Moon’s water.

Potential Impact for Future Exploration

The findings of Lunar Trailblazer will support future lunar missions by potentially locating accessible ice deposits. This knowledge is critical for future explorers, who may use lunar ice as a resource to produce oxygen or rocket fuel. Studying the ice composition could also reveal clues about the origins of lunar water, which may come from sources like comets or volcanic activity on the Moon. According to experts, lunar ice core samples could yield a historical record similar to those from glaciers on Earth, shedding light on the Moon’s water origins and history.

Preparing for Launch

The mission began as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx initiative in 2019, is now in its final preparation stages. Having successfully completed environmental and operational tests, the Lunar Trailblazer will share a launch with Intuitive Machines-2. Its lightweight design, weighing only 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet when fully deployed, makes it ideal for planetary exploration. With mission operations led by Caltech and backed by JPL and Lockheed Martin, the Trailblazer will soon take on a new phase in lunar science.

 

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Astronauts who will helm the first crewed moon mission in five decades were revealed on Monday, queuing up the quartet to begin training for the historic Artemis II lunar flyby that is set to take off in November 2024.

The astronauts are NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

Wiseman is a 47-year-old decorated naval aviator and test pilot who was first selected to be a NASA astronaut in 2009. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he’s completed one prior spaceflight, a 165-day trip to the International Space Station that had launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2014. Most recently, Wiseman served as chief of the astronaut office before stepping down in November 2022, making him eligible for a flight assignment.

Wiseman will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission.

Hansen, 47, is a fighter pilot who was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. From London, Ontario, Hansen is one of only four active Canadian astronauts, and he recently became the first Canadian to be put in charge of training for a new class of NASA astronauts.

He will be the first Canadian ever to travel to deep space.

Glover is a 46-year-old naval aviator who returned to Earth from his first spaceflight in 2021 after piloting the second crewed flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station.

“It’s so much more than the four names that have been announced,” Glover said during the Monday announcement at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We need to celebrate this moment in human history. … It is the next step in the journey that will get humanity to Mars.”

Glover, born in Pomona, California, served in several military squadrons in the United States and Japan in the 2000s, and he completed test pilot training with the US Air Force. When he was selected for the NASA astronaut corps in 2013, he was working in the US Senate as a legislative fellow. All told, Glover logged 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, over 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions.

Glover’s first mission to space was as part of the SpaceX Crew-1 team, which launched to the International Space Station in November 2020 for a six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.

Koch, 44, is a veteran of six spacewalks — including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space. Koch is also an an electrical engineer who helped develop scientific instruments for multiple NASA mission. Koch, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, also spent a year at the South Pole, an arduous stay that could well prepare her for the intensity of a moon mission.

The Artemis II mission will build on Artemis I, an uncrewed test mission that sent NASA’s Orion capsule on a 1.4 million-mile voyage to lap the moon that concluded in December. The space agency deemed that mission a success and is still working to review all the data collected.

If all goes to plan, Artemis II will take off around November 2024. The crew members, strapped inside the Orion spacecraft, will launch atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The journey is expected to last about 10 days and will send the crew out beyond the moon, potentially further than any human has traveled in history, though the exact distance is yet to be determined.

The “exact distance beyond the Moon will depend on the day of liftoff and the relative distance of the Moon from the Earth at the time of the mission,” NASA spokesperson Kathryn Hambleton said via email.

After circling the moon, the spacecraft will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Artemis II is expected to pave the way for the Artemis III mission later this decade, which NASA has vowed will put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface. It will also mark the first time humans have touched down on the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

The Artemis III mission is expected to take off later this decade. But much of the technology the mission will require, including spacesuits for walking on the moon and a lunar lander to ferry the astronauts to the moon’s surface, is still in development.

NASA is targeting a 2025 launch date for Artemis III, though the space agency’s inspector general has already said delays will likely push the mission to 2026 or later.

The space agency has been seeking to return people to the moon for more than a decade. The Artemis program was designed to pave the way to establishing a permanent lunar outpost, allowing astronauts to live and work deeper into space long term as NASA and its partners map a path to sending the first humans to Mars.

Vanessa Wyche, the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, declined to provide details to CNN about the selection process. But she emphasized the diversity of the Artemis II crew, which includes men and women rather than only a staff of White male test pilots as has been the case for historic missions of the past.

“I can tell you, they still all have the right stuff,” Wyche said. “We have requirements different than we did (when we) just had test pilots” on inaugural missions.

Koch said in an interview with CNN’s Ed Lavandera that the group found out they were selected a few weeks ago.

“We were all sent to a meeting that was on our calendars under a different pretext that didn’t sound as lofty as the one it was going to be,” Koch said. “And accidentally two of us were very late to that meeting.”

She said the offer rendered her “speechless.”

“It truly is an honor,” she added. “It’s an honor — not to get myself in the space — but because it’s amazing to be a part of this team that’s going back to the moon and on to Mars.”

An interview with the four astronauts will air on “CNN This Morning” on Tuesday, which starts at 6 am ET.