Gaganyaan Lift-Off Delayed: India’s First Human Spaceflight Now Set for Early 2027

🔹 NEWS DROP — PETAL 011
📅 May 7, 2025
🎯 GS Paper 3 | Science & Technology – Space, Indigenous Capability, Strategic Innovation

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🌀 Intro Whisper

Not just a journey through orbit, but a leap into independence — Gaganyaan holds India’s celestial ambition in its airtight cabin.

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🔍 Key Highlights

• India’s first manned space mission, Gaganyaan, will now be launched in the first quarter of 2027, as announced by the Union Minister of State for Science & Tech.
• The mission will carry three crew members to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and bring them back safely.

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🚀 Mission Architecture

• Launch Vehicle: LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), ISRO’s heavy-lift launcher
• Crew Escape System (CES):
  • Enabled during ascent or launch emergencies
  • Uses high burn-rate solid motors to eject crew module safely
• Orbital Module (OM):
  Comprises:
  • Crew Module (CM):
    • Habitable zone for astronauts
    • Simulates Earth-like environment
  • Service Module (SM):
    • Unpressurised, carries propulsion, power, thermal & avionics support

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🌌 Global Context

• Once completed, India will be the fourth country to achieve human spaceflight capability after:
  • Russia (USSR)
  • USA
  • China

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🧭 GS Paper Mapping

Current Affairs: Gaganyaan Updates, LVM3 Enhancements

GS3: Science & Technology – Space Sector Innovation

GS3: Strategic Tech – Indigenous Capability Development

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Target IAS-26: Daily MCQs :

📌 Prelims Practice MCQs

Topic:

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🧠 Prelims MCQ (Type 4 – Direct Question)
Q. The Gaganyaan mission aims to:
A) Launch India’s first Mars orbiter with human crew
B) Demonstrate India’s ability to launch and return humans from Low Earth Orbit
C) Replace the International Space Station (ISS) with an Indian version
D) Conduct the world’s first space-based solar power relay mission

🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation

✅ Correct Answer: B) Demonstrate India’s ability to launch and return humans from Low Earth Orbit

🧠 Explanation:
• Gaganyaan is India’s first human spaceflight mission targeting Low Earth Orbit, using LVM3 and featuring an Orbital Module with Crew & Service Modules.

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