New Delhi: ISRO has launched Mission Mitra, a team behavioral study in Leh, Ladakh, between April 2 and 9, 2026. The mission will examine how the the crew of four Gaganyatris and ground teams will perform in a simulated environment, under high-altitude stress at 3,500 metres. The low levels of oxygen, low temperature and isolation replicate some of the challenges of space travel. The exercise will focus on communication, psychological resilience, decision-making and the coordination between the Gaganyatris and the Ground Control teams. The study was designed by ISRO and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine of the Indian Air Force. The mission was inaugurated virtually on 2 April by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan.

Analogue missions are simulations conducted in controlled environments on Earth that realistically replicate key aspects of spaceflight or extraterrestrial surfaces (it is mostly the latter). Such extreme environments allow researchers to study how humans and equipment can live and work for extended periods, and what kinds of problems may emerge. The importance of such missions is in identifying risks to crew safety and mission success before actual spaceflights. Data from analogue missions inform formulations of protocols, design of habitats, and the development of training and support systems for long-duration human space exploration. These analogue missions are cost-effective opportunities to refine team dynamics, communication and adaptability.

ISRO’s analogue missions

MITRA is the latest in a series of analogue missions conducted by ISRO. In November 2024, ISRO conducted the Ladakh Human Analogue Mission (LHAM), followed by the Anugami ten-day isolation study with a Gaganyatri in July 2025. In August 2025, ISRO conducted the Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) analogue mission at Tso Kar Valley in Ladakh, at an altitude of 4,530 metres, in conditions that approximated those on Mars. The Bengaluru-based Protoplanet designed the habitat modules for HOPE, and is supporting MITRA with the facility and protocol management.