ISRO has launched India’s first analog space mission in Leh, Ladakh, simulating life in an interplanetary habitat to advance India’s lunar and interplanetary mission goals. Analog missions are conducted in Earth locations with conditions that mimic space environments, helping to test and solve challenges for space research. Ladakh’s dry, cold climate and high-altitude terrain resemble Martian and lunar landscapes, making it ideal for such a mission.
The month-long mission includes a compact, inflatable habitat named Hab-1, equipped with a hydroponics farm, kitchen, and sanitation, creating a self-sustaining environment. This setup offers insights into sustaining human life for long-term space missions to the Moon and Mars. Collaboratively organized by ISRO’s Human Spaceflight Centre, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, the mission also leverages Ladakh’s low-oxygen, low-pressure conditions to evaluate life support systems, essential for future interplanetary missions.
