The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) analogue mission is an initiative to simulate space conditions on Earth to support the success of India's first human spaceflight programme, the Gaganyaan Mission. This mission aims to study the physical, mental, and operational challenges that astronauts may face. Through this mission, ISRO prepares the astronauts, equipping them to effectively handle their duties in actual space missions.

Prerequisites:

• Institutional & political interest and support for utilising space exploration technologies for services

• Availability of terrestrial environments that simulate space conditions (e.g., deserts, volcanic fields).

• Partnerships with analogue mission providers 

• Scientific community engagement (life sciences, psychology, robotics, geology)

• Training programme for participants (astronaut-like preparation)

• Legal/regulatory approvals for research involving humans

• Existence of trained personnel capable of mission planning, safety management, and operations.

Cost:

Participation in external analogue missions

• Ballpark: USD 50k–500k

• Includes: training and preparation of crew/researchers, participation fees or programme costs, travel and subsistence, contribution to joint research, dissemination of results

Establish national analogue facility

• Ballpark: USD 5M–50M + USD 0.5M–2M/yr (OPEX)

• Includes: site selection and facility construction (habitats, labs, environmental control systems), simulation equipment, ICT and communications infrastructure, safety systems, staffing and training, partnerships with international agencies and universities, operations and maintenance

Timeframe:

External participation:

• Overall 6–18 mo

• Phase: candidate selection & training (3–6 mo), mission participation (1–3 mo), research analysis & reporting (3–6 mo)

National analogue facility:

• Overall 36–72 mo

•  Phase: feasibility & partnerships (6–12 mo), design & construction (18–36 mo), staffing & commissioning (6–12 mo), operationalisation & research integration (6–12 mo)

Pros:

• Practical Experience - Enables hands-on testing of technologies and execution of operational procedures

• Validation - Validation of technologies and operations in a practical, hands-on environment

Considerations:

• Costs - High cost of establishing and maintaining analogue sites.

• Insufficient Experience - Limited fidelity compared to actual space environments, e.g. gravity, radiation, and communication delay