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Chandigarh, Updated At : 08:22 PM Aug 10, 2025 IST

Two researchers to emerge from 10-day analogue space mission in Ladakh

Two researchers are set to emerge from a 10-day isolation on Monday at the human outer space exploration (HOPE) outpost in Ladakh that simulates living conditions on the Moon and Mars to help better understand the physiological and psychological aspects of long-duration space travel. For the first experiment, two researchers -- Rahul Mogalapalli and Yaman Akot -- started their isolation mission on August 1 at the HOPE analogue site located on the banks of the Tso Kar lake, about 160 km from Leh.

"The aim of the mission was to assess human adaptability and resilience in conditions simulating deep space environments," Siddharth Pandey, the director of Protoplanet, a company involved in space science popularisation, said. He said the insights gained from these studies will be instrumental in developing robust protocols and technologies for sustained human presence beyond Earth.

HOPE comprises a specially designed eight-meter diameter habitat module for crew living and a five-meter diameter utility module for operations and support systems, which are interconnected for seamless workflow.
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Tso Kar Valley was specifically selected for this analogue mission due to its striking environmental parallels with early Mars, due to high ultraviolet flux, low air pressure, cold extremes and saline permafrost.
Similar to HOPE, there are research stations such as the Mars Desert Station (United States), Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Canada and BIOS-3 in Russia, which look to simulate the challenges that astronauts might face in adapting to alien worlds.

The HOPE station is owned and operated by Protoplanet, with contributions from The Mars Society (US and Australia), ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre, and permissions from the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

Navy ships 'Udaygiri', 'Himgiri' to be simultaneously commissioned on Aug 26

Indian naval ships 'Udaygiri' and 'Himgiri', part of Project 17A stealth frigates, are slated to be simultaneously commissioned on August 26 at Visakhapatnam. The first ship of the P17A (Nilgiri Class) stealth frigates 'Nilgiri' was commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January. The second warship, Udaygiri, built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Navy on July 1.

This will be the "first time that two major surface combatants from two prestigious Indian shipyards are being commissioned at the same time at Visakhapatnam", a Navy spokesperson said.

These multi-mission frigates are capable of operating in "a 'Blue Water' environment dealing with both conventional and non-conventional threats" in the area of India's maritime interests, the defence ministry has said.

'Udaygiri' and 'Himgiri' represent a "generational leap" over earlier designs. Displacing about 6,700 tonnes, the P17A frigates are roughly 5 per cent larger than their predecessor Shivalik-class frigates band yet incorporate a sleeker form, with a reduced radar cross section, the officials said.

These are powered by combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion plants using diesel engines and gas turbines that drive controllable-pitch propellers and are managed through an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

"The weapon suite includes supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium range surface-to-air missiles, 76 mm MR gun and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm close-in weapon systems and the anti-submarine or underwater weapon systems," the Navy spokesperson said.

NewsBytes

PTI

Two researchers to emerge from 10-day analogue space mission in Ladakh

Navy ships 'Udaygiri', 'Himgiri' to be simultaneously commissioned on Aug 26

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