India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has confirmed a minor delay in the initial uncrewed missions that pave the way for the highly anticipated crewed Gaganyaan spaceflight. The first uncrewed mission, originally slated for launch this year, is now expected to lift off in January 2026.

According to recent statements from ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, the agency's primary target remains sending astronauts into space by 2027. To achieve this, three successful uncrewed missions will serve as crucial precursors. The inaugural uncrewed flight, designated G1 and previously planned for December, has been rescheduled to January 2026 and is anticipated to last until March or April. This will be followed by the G2 and G3 missions. A key highlight of these three preparatory flights is the deployment of 'Vyommitra,' a humanoid robot designed to simulate human presence in space.Woman Behind Bomb Threat Emails to Private Schools Arrested

Vyommitra will help identify potential challenges and hardships that astronauts might encounter, while conducting xperiments to ensure the crewed mission is 100% safe. As part of the Gaganyaan program, over 8,000 tests have already been completed, and all necessary hardware components for the spacecraft have arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Assembly work is currently underway.