Lining up seven missions including an uncrewed Gaganyaan flight, ISRO targets an ambitious launch schedule by March 2026
India’s space agency ISRO has lined up seven launch missions by March 2026, including the first uncrewed flight of its human spaceflight programme Gaganyaan, as it prepares for an ambitious year of scientific, commercial and technology demonstration missions.
Union minister Jitendra Singh told Parliament that the human rated LVM3 rocket will fly in early 2026 carrying the initial uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, with the humanoid robot Vyommitra onboard the crew module. The mission will demonstrate end to end capabilities, including launch vehicle aerodynamics, orbital module operations, crew module re entry and recovery. One more uncrewed mission is planned later in 2026 ahead of India’s first human spaceflight, targeted for 2027.
ISRO will also undertake multiple commercial and strategic launches. India’s heaviest rocket, the LVM3, will place the Bluebird 6 communication satellite of US based AST Spacemobile into orbit under a commercial agreement through New Space India Limited.
2026 will see the launch of India’s first industry built PSLV, which will carry the Oceansat satellite along with the Indo Mauritius Joint Satellite and Dhruva Space’s LEAP 2 satellite. An ISRO-built PSLV will also deploy the EOS N1 earth observation satellite for a strategic user, along with 18 smaller domestic and international satellites.
Other planned missions include the GSLV Mk II launch of the EOS 5 or GISAT 1A satellite, and the PSLV 63 mission carrying TDS 01 to demonstrate high thrust electric propulsion, quantum key distribution and other indigenous technologies.
