Gaganyaan-1 on LVM-3: Launch Time & How to Watch (Sep 30, 2026)

Gaganyaan-1 is the first uncrewed test flight of India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, launching on an LVM-3 rocket from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on September 30, 2026 (UTC). The mission is operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and will validate the crew module and launch systems before Indians fly to orbit.

Gaganyaan is India's programme to send astronauts into low Earth orbit aboard an indigenously built crew module. Gaganyaan-1 carries no crew — it is a systems demonstration flight designed to prove that the vehicle, capsule, and recovery hardware work end to end.

When is the launch?

The launch is currently targeted for September 30, 2026, at 00:00 UTC, though the date remains listed as TBD and is subject to change as ISRO finalises testing. Because Gaganyaan-1 is a milestone flight, ISRO typically confirms the exact window only in the weeks before liftoff.

What is the LVM-3 rocket?

The LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), formerly known as GSLV Mk III, is ISRO's most powerful operational rocket. It stands about 43.5 metres tall, weighs roughly 640 tonnes at liftoff, and can place around 8,000 kg into low Earth orbit or about 4,000 kg into geostationary transfer orbit.

The vehicle uses two large S200 solid boosters, a liquid-fuelled L110 core stage, and a cryogenic upper stage. LVM-3 has already delivered India's Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 lunar missions and deployed batches of OneWeb broadband satellites, giving it a strong track record ahead of human-rating for Gaganyaan.

Why the human-rated LVM-3 matters

For Gaganyaan, ISRO has upgraded the LVM-3 into a human-rated configuration designated HLVM3, adding redundancy and a crew escape system. Gaganyaan-1 is a key checkpoint in that qualification process, following earlier pad-abort and test-vehicle demonstrations.

What is the payload?

Gaganyaan-1 carries an uncrewed Gaganyaan crew module and its associated service module. The Gaganyaan capsule is designed to eventually carry up to three astronauts for missions of up to three days in a low Earth orbit near 400 km altitude — comparable to the altitude of the International Space Station.

According to ISRO's Gaganyaan overview, uncrewed flights precede any crewed mission to fully validate the environmental control, parachute descent, and ocean-recovery systems. Data from Gaganyaan-1 feeds directly into clearing the vehicle for astronauts.

How to watch live

ISRO typically streams major launches on its official channels, with commentary beginning shortly before liftoff. Confirm the exact broadcast start time close to launch day, as the TBD status means the schedule may shift.

You can also follow the mission in real time on Cosmik's rocket launch schedule and watch the trajectory and any deployed hardware on our live 3D solar-system and satellite map. For the latest updates, see our launch news feed.

Where is it launching from?

Gaganyaan-1 lifts off from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota island, on India's east coast. The spaceport is ISRO's primary orbital launch site and hosts all LVM-3 flights, its coastal location allowing spent stages and abort trajectories to fall safely over the Bay of Bengal.

Why this launch is significant

• It is the first orbital-class Gaganyaan test toward India becoming the fourth nation to independently launch humans to orbit.
• It qualifies the human-rated LVM-3 (HLVM3) crew-safety systems in flight conditions.
• It validates the crew module structure, descent parachutes, and sea-recovery procedures with no crew at risk.

Background details on the vehicle and programme are available on Wikipedia's LVM3 and Gaganyaan pages, and on the Satish Dhawan Space Centre entry. Launch data is sourced from The Space Devs Launch Library.

Follow Gaganyaan-1 live on Cosmik — track the LVM-3 launch and the crew module in orbit on our real-time 3D map, and enable free launch alerts on our launch tracker so you never miss liftoff.