News: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has formally kicked off its first high-altitude analogue mission, Human Outer Planetary Exploration (HOPE), in the Tso Kar valley in Ladakh.
About HOPE Analog Mission in Tso Kar Valley, Ladakh
- It is ISRO’s first full-scale analogue simulation mission.
- Full name: HOPE is short form of – Human Outer Planetary Exploration.
- Operated by: The mission has been built and is being operated by Protoplanet, a Bengaluru-based startup.
- It is being backed by ISRO’s Human Spaceflight Centre.
- It also involves scientific contributions from IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIST, and RGCB Trivandrum.
- Schedule: The mission is scheduled to be conducted from 1st to 10th August 2025.
- Set up at: It has been set up in one of the most Mars-like environments on Earth, a high-altitude, cold desert in Tso Kar valley in Ladakh located 4,530 m above sea level.
- Aim: The Mission is focused on people, testing how humans handle the physical and mental challenges they would likely face during a long space journey, such as a crewed mission to Mars.
- Components: The Hope habitat is made up of two interconnected modules:
- An 8-metre-wide living unit for the crew, and
- A 5-metre utility module that contains essential equipment and support systems.
- Experiments to be done: Some of the key areas being tested include:
- Monitoring physical health: Real-time monitoring of how the crew’s body responds to high altitude and low-oxygen conditions.
- Studying mental well-being: Analysis of stress levels, cognitive functioning, and teamwork performance in an enclosed and isolated setting.
- Testing new tech: Field testing of advanced equipment like biomedical devices, prototype spacesuits, and communication tools under simulated Mars conditions.
- Running emergency drills: Simulations of possible mission crises, such as equipment failure or health emergencies, to test how well response protocols work in extreme environments.
