Parliamentary panel reviews Gaganyaan and aerospace projects in Bengaluru

Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni’s parliamentary committee reviewed the status of Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission, at ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru.

The committee also met ISRO chairman Dr. V. Narayanan, senior scientists and engineers, and reviewed planning and preparedness for upcoming missions at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre. Dr. Kulkarni said the visit examined ways to strengthen research infrastructure and policy support for scientists working on space missions.

At the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the panel discussed work in astronomy, astrophysics and solar physics, along with upcoming telescope projects. At the National Aerospace Laboratories, members were briefed on civil aircraft programmes, including the HANSA-NG and an indigenous passenger aircraft being developed for regional connectivity.

The visit also took the panel to CSIR-NIDSA, where it reviewed high-performance computing, the National Data Grid and AI applications. Dr. Kulkarni said data modelling could support early weather alerts, cybersecurity and citizen services.