India pins HOPEs on Ladakh for human space exploration missions

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is undertaking a 10-day mission in Ladakh to simulate conditions on Mars as part of its human space flight programme and future planetary explorations.

Located at an altitude of 14,000 feet in the cold, barren terrain of Tso Kar, the project, christened Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE), will evaluate the technology and human endurance essential for long-duration missions beyond Earth. India plans to launch astronauts to space by 2027.

“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 mission marks a significant milestone in India’s preparations for future human spaceflight to low-earth orbit and Moon/Mars class exploration missions,” the ISRO posted on X.

Tso Kar Valley has been specifically selected for this mission due to its striking environmental parallels with early Mars, due to high UV flux, low air pressure, cold extremes and saline permafrost. It has a specially designed habitat module for crew living with a diameter of eight meters and a utility module, with a diameter of five meters, for operations and support systems.

Both modules have been interconnected for seamless workflow. Equipped with hydroponics for food, sanitation systems and a self-sustaining kitchen, it will house a crew living in utter isolation for 10 days. In fact, India’s highest space observation site, the Indian Astronomical Observatory, is located at Hanle in south eastern Ladakh as the site is among the most suitable globally for optical, infrared, sub-millimeter and millimeter wavelengths experiments because of the high altitude, dry climate and minimal light pollution.

Importance of mission

Indian Human Spaceflight Programme is a national endeavour led by the ISRO and aims to extend the human presence across solar system, starting with human spaceflight missions to low-earth orbit and achieving Indian crewed lunar landing by 2040.

“This requires undertaking systematic studies to generate necessary Indian subject data for addressing various physiological, psychological and operational challenges associated with human space flight missions. In this regard, ground=based analog missions in environment simulating certain aspects of a typical human space mission provide an opportunity to understand the human health and performance risks,” the ISRO said.

The ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) is leading this endeavour. An HSFC team led the Ladakh Human Analog Mission (LHAM) in November, 2024, and partnered in the recently concluded 10-day Isolation Study “Anugami” involving ISRO’s Gaganyatri in July, 2025. Continuing this endeavour, HOPE is being undertaken from August 1to 10.

Experiments to be undertaken

In his inaugural address, Dr V Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO, stated that this analog mission was more than a simulation, rather it’s a rehearsal for the future. It’s being undertaken in collaboration with an industry partner.

Experiments would be conducted by several partnering national institutions such as Indian Institute of Science and Technology, Bengaluru, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad; IIT, Mumbai and the Institute for Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru.

Investigators from these institutes would examine epigenetic, genomic, physiological and psychological responses of two analog mission crew members and validate health-monitoring protocols, planetary surface operations and refine sample collection and microbial analysis techniques.

The valuable data generated through these analog missions organised by the HSFC would form the basis for design of protocols and infrastructure for future Indian Human Exploration Missions by providing key insights into technology performance, crew workflows and environmental adaptation.