What is ISRO’s 10-day HOPE analogue mission in Ladakh

New Delhi: Significantly advancing India’s future human space exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the country’s first analogue mission in Ladakh.

The analogue station — the Human Outer Planet Exploration (HOPE) station — formally inaugurated by Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO, has isolated aerospace engineer Rahul Mogalapalli and astrobiologist Yaman Akot.

“This analogue mission is more than a simulation; rather, it is a rehearsal for the future,” said Narayanan during the inauguration.

The duo will spend the next 10 days at the analogue site in Ladakh’s Tso Kar. It will test their physical and psychological endurance in interplanetary conditions.

“The mission is scheduled to be conducted from 1st to 10th August 2025 at Tso Kar, Ladakh (elevation: 4,530 metres),” ISRO shared in a post on the social media platform X.

The mission comes as India plans to launch astronauts to space by 2027 and to the Moon by the year 2040 as its space programme soars.

“The mission marks a significant milestone in India’s preparations for future human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit, and Moon/Mars class exploration missions,” the Indian space agency said.

What is the HOPE station?

HOPE station is developed by Bengaluru-based space tech company Protoplanet, along with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

It is a specially designed Dia 8 metre habitat module for crew living and a Dia 5 metre utility module for operations and support systems, which are interconnected for seamless workflow.

“Tso Kar valley was specifically selected for this analogue mission due to its striking environmental parallels with early Mars, due to high UV flux, low air pressure, cold extremes, and saline permafrost,” ISRO said.

“Set in one of Earth’s most Mars-like environments, HOPE is designed to simulate planetary conditions for testing human physiological responses, validating mission protocols, and evaluating spaceflight technologies.

The 10-day mission consists of experiments shortlisted from partnering national institutions such as IIST and RGCB, Trivandrum; IIT Hyderabad; IIT Bombay; and the Institute for Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore.

The experiments will examine epigenetic, genomic, physiological, and psychological responses of two analogue mission crew members and validate health-monitoring protocols, planetary surface operations, and refine sample collection and microbial analysis techniques, ISRO said.

“The valuable data generated through these analogue missions will form the basis for the design of protocols and infrastructure for future Indian human exploration missions by providing key insights into technology performance, crew workflows, and environmental adaptation,” the Indian space agency said.

–IANS