Former ISRO chairman K Sivan on October 3 said safety, reliability and quality must take precedence over optimum performance in India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

Speaking in Tiruchirappalli, Sivan said the crew’s safety is paramount and that every system must be proven before astronauts fly. The mission aims to send Indian astronauts to a 400-kilometre low-earth orbit.

He described Gaganyaan as a combination of aircraft and space technologies, noting that human spaceflight demands far stricter standards than satellite launches.

ISRO is preparing uncrewed test flights before the crewed mission. The programme has already validated key systems including the crew escape system and the human-rated launch vehicle.

India’s first human spaceflight will make it the fourth country to independently send astronauts to space. The government has also approved plans for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035.

Uncrewed test flights will fly before the crewed mission to validate every system. ISRO has said astronaut training is progressing alongside the development of the spacecraft and its life-support systems.