Category: Technology News

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is targeting at least five more launches before the end of the financial year on 31 March 2027, including the first uncrewed flight of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan outlined the plan after the successful launch of the NVS-03 navigation satellite aboard the GSLV-F18 rocket on 30 October 2026.

The five planned missions

  • Gaganyaan-1: The first uncrewed orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan crew capsule, on the human-rated LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III) rocket from Sriharikota. ISRO has completed the Crew Module–Service Module separation tests for the mission, and preparations are progressing, with more than 8,000 tests completed. The flight is targeted for around December 2026, though ISRO has not announced a confirmed launch date.
  • Two PSLV flights: Including a PSLV-XL mission carrying the TDS-01 technology demonstrator satellite, which is lined up for November 2026. TDS-01 will test new technologies in orbit, including an indigenously developed 300 mN electric thruster, atomic clocks, travelling wave tube amplifiers and a quantum communication suite.
  • Two SSLV missions: Flights of ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, its newest and smallest rocket.
  • One private-sector launch: A mission by a private-sector company, though ISRO has not yet announced the identity of the company.

Specific dates for most of these missions have not yet been confirmed by ISRO, so they should be read as the agency’s stated plan rather than a published launch schedule.

Why this matters

The GSLV-F18 mission on 30 October placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into its intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, rescuing the NavIC programme, India’s own navigation system, which had been at least one functional satellite short for six months. It was the 20th flight of the GSLV vehicle and only the second successful orbital launch of 2026 for ISRO, after two PSLV failures in the previous 18 months.

The Gaganyaan programme is the centrepiece of the plan: after the first uncrewed flight, two more uncrewed flights are planned before the crewed mission, which is targeted for 2027.

Sources: ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan’s statement after the GSLV-F18 launch, 30–31 October 2026 (via Inshorts and BreakRead); JagranJosh, 4 November 2026; SpaceLaunchSchedule (ISRO TDS-01 PSLV-XL); The Hindu editorial, 2 November 2026.

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