ISRO Inaugurates HOPE Mission in Ladakh to Simulate Mars-Like Conditions for Human Spaceflight

In a landmark step toward India’s ambitions in human spaceflight, Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, formally inaugurated the HOPE (High-Altitude Operational Protocol Evaluation) mission on July 31 at Tso Kar, a high-altitude saltwater lake region in Ladakh.

The mission, which runs from August 1 to 10, is being conducted at an altitude of 4,530 metres, making it India’s highest and most Mars-like terrestrial testing ground. HOPE is designed to simulate extreme planetary environments to evaluate crew health, mission protocols, life-support systems, and critical technologies that will eventually support Indian astronauts on missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Moon, and possibly Mars.

Mars on Earth: Why Tso Kar?

Tso Kar, with its cold desert terrain, low atmospheric pressure, high ultraviolet radiation, and saline permafrost, closely mimics environmental conditions on Mars. These factors make it an ideal analog site for testing how humans, equipment, and systems perform in space-like isolation.

"The HOPE mission demonstrates India’s commitment to long-duration human space exploration,” said Dr. Narayanan at the inauguration. “This is a major step toward realizing the goals of future lunar and interplanetary missions.”

Inside the HOPE Mission

At the heart of the mission is a modular habitat consisting of two pressurized units — an 8-meter diameter living module and a 5-meter utility module. These interconnected units include critical life-support infrastructure such as a kitchen, sleeping quarters, sanitation systems, and a hydroponic farm for food cultivation.

Two analog crew members — a mechanical systems engineer and an astrobiologist — will remain confined inside the habitat throughout the 10-day mission. They will simulate tasks such as habitat maintenance, spacewalk preparation, and scientific exploration, while researchers monitor physiological and psychological data in real time.

The mission is coordinated by ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), with scientific support from institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIST Trivandrum, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), Bengaluru.

Key Objectives

The primary goals of the HOPE mission include:

• Studying human physiological and psychological adaptation to extreme and isolated environments.

• Validating life-support systems and operational workflows for future crewed missions.

• Conducting astrobiology and planetary science experiments on microbial life and analog surface conditions.

• Testing genomic and epigenetic changes due to sustained high-altitude confinement.

This is not ISRO's first foray into analog research. The HOPE mission builds upon earlier initiatives such as the Ladakh Human Analog Mission (LHAM) in November 2024 and Project Anugami, a 10-day isolation study conducted in July 2025.

Strategic Importance

The HOPE mission is expected to significantly bolster India’s readiness for upcoming crewed missions, including the much-anticipated Gaganyaan program and longer-term goals for a manned lunar landing by 2040. It also marks one of ISRO’s first high-altitude analog missions conducted in collaboration with Indian industry partners.

According to ISRO, HOPE will provide critical insights into habitat design, crew training protocols, and mission execution strategies required for sustained human presence in space.

As ISRO moves forward with Gaganyaan and future interplanetary goals, missions like HOPE are laying the essential groundwork—one high-altitude step at a time.