Knowledge Nugget: ISRO’s Analog mission HOPE — A must-know for UPSC exam

Researchers suggest that the conditions in the Kutch village resemble the environmental and chemical conditions thought to exist on Mars, and could offer an excellent test bed for the study of the red planet’s surface, mineralogy and biochemistry. The Matanomadh site could thus offer field-analogue missions for Mars, where rover motion, instrument testing, drilling, and geochemistry experiments could be performed.

Key takeaways:

1. Analog space missions are field tests in locations on Earth that have physical similarities to the extreme space environments and play a significant role in problem-solving for spaceflight research. The results from this analog mission will provide scientific data that will help in validating the systems that will be used for actual missions to Mars and also help in solving problems for spaceflight research.

2. Incidentally, this is not the only site in India where researchers are trying to experience Mars-like conditions. ISRO has been trying to simulate the living conditions and environment of Mars and Moon in a desolate high-altitude village in Ladakh through its HOPE (Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration) mission. 

3. In August, two crew members spent 10 days in a compact replica of a Mars habitat at Tso Kar Valley in Ladakh, about 4,500 metres above sea level, where the oxygen and air pressure are thin and temperatures are sub-zero.

4. To launch human space missions, the necessary Indian subject data are required for addressing various physiological, psychological and operational challenges associated with the missions. In this regard, according to the ISRO, ground based analog missions in the environment simulating certain aspects of a typical human space mission provide an opportunity to understand the human health and performance risks.

5. This is the task of the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO. In November 2024, the HSFC team led the Ladakh Human Analog Mission (LHAM) and recently partnered for ten-day Isolation Study ‘Anugami’ involving ISRO’s Gaganyatri in July, 2025.

6. Continuing this endeavour, HOPE analog mission setup in Tso Kar Valley, Ladakh was inaugurated on 31st July, 2025 by Dr V Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space & Chairman, ISRO.

7. The primary objectives include replicating the harsh conditions prevailing on Moon and Mars to study human endurance, psychological impacts, and health in isolation. This is crucial for preparing for actual space missions like the Gaganyaan programme and potential Lunar or Martian habitats.

8. Ladakh, also known as the cold desert of India, experiences extreme climate such as high UV radiation, significant temperature variations and limited water availability, making it a suitable terrestrial analogue for Martian studies.

What is the habitat like on Mars?

1. The temperature on Mars ranges between 20 degrees Celsius and -153 degrees Celsius. The planet has a rocky surface with canyons, volcanoes, dry lake beds, and craters, all covered in red dust.

2. Winds can create dust storms, with tiny ones resembling tornadoes and large ones occasionally enveloping the entire planet. They are visible from Earth using telescopes. It has about one-third the gravity of Earth and the atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s, containing more than 95% carbon dioxide and less than 1% oxygen.

3. The planet turns on its axis more slowly than Earth, and being farther from the Sun, takes longer to revolve around the Sun. A day on Mars is 24.6 hours and a year is 687 Earth days long.

Jarosite is a yellow-coloured iron-rich sulphate mineral, similar to those discovered on Mars a couple of decades ago. (Special Arrangement)

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

An image of Mars clicked by Mangalyaan. (Photo: PTI)

1. On September 24, 2014, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), informally referred to as Mangalyaan, successfully entered into orbit around the Red Planet. It was launched on November 5, 2013, on PSLV-C25. This marked India’s first tryst with interplanetary travel, making India the first country that successfully managed to orbit the Red Planet in its first attempt.

2. While the orbiter had a planned mission duration of just six months, it stayed in touch with Earth till April 2022, when communications were finally lost, possibly due to an exhaustion of fuel resources.

3. ISRO became just the fourth space agency — after the US’s NASA, Russia’s ROSCOSMOS, and the European Space Agency — to accomplish this feat. Notably, India is planning for the second interplanetary mission to Mars, Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (Mangalyaan 2), to be launched by 2026.

Post Read Question

The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO (UPSC CSE 2016)

1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission

2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA

3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

(Sources: Ladakh’s magnetofossils may help identify habitable environments in space, ISRO’s Space Missions 2025: Full list of upcoming space missions of India, Remembering Mangalyaan, Why a remote Kutch village could end up as a test bed for Mars mission, isro.gov.in)

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