As part of the Gaganyaan mission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is undertaking the MITRA (Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Response Assessment) mission in Leh.
The MITRA mission, a first-of-its-kind team behavioral study designed by ISRO and the Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAF) of the Indian Air Force, was launched on April 2 and will continue until April 9.
ISRO has said that crew safety and performance are the most critical elements of all human spaceflight.
“The ability of the crew to communicate effectively, adapt to stress, maintain psychological resilience and support each other determines the success and safety of any mission. Analogue missions conducted under controlled but realistic conditions are used to understand how the crew performs under challenging conditions,” ISRO said.
For this, ISRO undertook the MITRA mission at Leh, where the altitude is approximately 3,500 meters. In addition, Leh also has environmental conditions of hypoxia, low temperature and isolation as a natural analogue for space flight operations.
The MITRA mission will explore the physiological, psychological and operational dynamics of crew and ground teams operating in a high-altitude environment.
“This study is aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of team interoperability between crew and ground control teams and decision-making effectiveness under environmental and operational stress,” the space agency said.
Start-up M/s Protoplanet Pvt. based in Bengaluru. Ltd., is responsible for facility management and statutory protocols.
The Gaganyaan project envisages demonstrating man’s ability to fly into space by launching a three-man crew into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and returning it safely to Earth by landing in the waters of the Indian Sea.
Under the Gaganyaan programme, ISRO intends to conduct three unmanned missions and one manned mission. The first unmanned mission is due this year, followed by the first manned mission.
Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla, Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan and Angad Pratap are the crew (astronauts) selected for the mission.
Published – 03 Apr 2026 23:04 IST
