New Delhi: ISRO is aiming to execute a crewed landing on the lunar surface by 2040 and set up a Moon base, and is doing the groundwork necessary to extend human presence across the Solar System. Ground-based analogue missions in extreme environments allows researchers to study human health and performance risks, and undertake the systematic studies necessary for addressing physiological, psychological and operational challenges for living and working on extraterrestrial surfaces. Analogue missions are exercises where researchers can better understand the requirements of pioneering spacefarers. ISRO has started the Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) mission at Tso Kar Valley in Ladakh, with a planned duration of ten days, between 1 and 10 August.

ISRO begins analogue space mission at 14,000 ft in Ladakh’s Tso Kar to study high altitude stress & confinement effects, simulating Moon & Mars conditions. Part of #Gaganyaan future planetary missions.

Dr Sidharth Pandey is my dept senior and a friend. All the best to the team. pic.twitter.com/OUttMGiUI1

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) August 2, 2025

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan formally inaugurated the mission on 31 July. The HOPE mission is being led by ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), that has previously conducted the Ladakh Human Analogue Mission (LHAM) in November 2024, and conducted the Anugami ten-day isolation study with an ISRO Gaganyatri in July 2025. V Narayanan noted that the mission is a rehearsal for the future in addition to a simulation. A number of academic institutions across the country are working closely with HSFC on the mission. The data gathered by the analogue missions will form the basis for the design of protocols and infrastructure for human spaceflight.

Ladakh terrain is similar to Mars

The HOPE mission is being conducted at an altitude of 4,530 metres. The cold, dry climate of Ladakh has an environment that is similar to the surface of Mars. The high UV flux, low air pressure, cold temperatures and saline permafrost can all also be found on Mars. Although ISRO’s current roadmap for human exploration is aimed at the Moon, ISRO already has its eyes on Mars, which is the next step. The Rann of Kutch with its salt fields is a closer approximation to the abrasive lunar regolith. HOPE has a Habitat Module with a diameter of eight metres, with a Utility Module with a diametre of five metres, that contains support systems. The structure has been designed by Bengaluru-based space technology firm, Protoplanet.