India’s first Astronaut Wg. Cdr. Rakesh Sharma (Retd.) and Gp. Capt. Prasanth B. Nair (ISRO astronaut & Gaganyaatri) shared their valuable insights and experiences
17th November 2025: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) jointly organised the CSIR–ISRO Space Meet 2025 at Bengaluru to align multidisciplinary research, technology development and institutional collaboration for India’s human spaceflight mission requirements. The programme was hosted by CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR–NAL), Bengaluru, the nodal organising institute.
Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR & Director General, CSIR, in her welcome address, outlined CSIR’s scientific and technological contributions towards strengthening India’s space capabilities and stated that the meet would offer valuable takeaways through knowledge sharing among scientists, researchers, astronauts and international experts and would address the gap areas. She highlighted India’s commitment to indigenous innovation and collaborative R&D, while acknowledging the guidance of Hon’ble Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in advancing national scientific and technological goals.
Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space (DoS) & Chairman, ISRO, delivered the strategic address and said that Gaganyaan space prpgram requires collaboration across different ministries, R&D institutions, academia and partner organisations. He outlined evolving mission priorities including next-generation crew safety systems, advanced life-support technologies and scientific payload development. He recognised the contributions of CSIR and India’s national R&D ecosystem and referred to India’s long-term objectives including a future human mission to the Moon, Mars exploration and the establishment of an Indian Space Station.
Dr. Abhay A. Pashilkar, Director, CSIR–NAL, welcomed participants and reiterated NAL’s commitment to advancing technologies, material research and testing capabilities supporting India’s aerospace and human spaceflight goals.
A special video message by Mr. Jean-Francois Clervoy, ESA Astronaut (NASA STS-66, STS-84, STS-103), added a global perspective and underlined the importance of international cooperation and shared scientific learning in advancing human spaceflight.
During the experience-sharing sessions, Group Captain Prasanth B. Nair, ISRO Astronaut, presented insights from astronaut training, microgravity simulations, operational readiness and recovery frameworks. Wg. Cdr. Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), India’s first astronaut, reflected on his 1984 Soyuz mission and acknowledged NAL’s long-standing aerospace contributions. Both astronauts emphasised that Indian Human Spaceflight Programme is aimed at the peaceful exploration and human centric research.
Technical and thematic sessions featured presentations by international and national experts, including Dr. Lucia Roccaro (ESA) on human spaceflight physiology, Dr. Akiko Otsuka (JAXA) on collaborative research perspectives, and Prof. Pradipta Biswas (IISc) on human–technology interaction and interface design for crewed missions.
The CSIR–ISRO Space Meet 2025 concluded with a collective resolve to strengthen science–technology convergence, mission-driven R&D and multi-agency collaboration to advance India’s human spaceflight programme, aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat.
