ISRO Expands Gaganyaan Astronaut Selection to Include STEM Civilians
3 hours agoTech
31LENS
2 SourcesIndia
TBNthebalanced.news

ISRO Expands Gaganyaan Astronaut Selection to Include STEM Civilians

India's space agency ISRO is preparing to select a second batch of astronauts for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, expanding eligibility to include civilians with STEM backgrounds alongside military pilots. This shift aims to build a sustained astronaut corps to support India's long-term goals of orbital missions, a space station, and a Moon landing by 2040. The first batch, selected in 2020, comprised Indian Air Force test pilots who underwent rigorous medical and psychological evaluations and trained in Russia. ISRO has formed a committee to develop the new selection and training processes.

Political Bias
0%100%0%
Sentiment
75%
AI analysis of 2 sources · Published under editorial oversight by The Balanced News
Analysed 29 Apr 2026· How this analysis is produced· Editorial standards· Corrections

AI Analysis

Political bias across 2 sources
● Left 0%● Center 100%● Right 0%

The articles present a primarily technical and developmental perspective on ISRO's astronaut selection process, focusing on the agency's strategic plans without evident political framing. Both sources emphasize India's space ambitions and procedural details, reflecting a national interest viewpoint rather than partisan or ideological positions.

Sentiment — Positive (75/100)

The tone across the articles is generally positive and forward-looking, highlighting progress and expansion in India's human spaceflight program. Coverage emphasizes ambition and preparation, with no critical or negative sentiment, portraying the developments as milestones in India's space exploration efforts.

How 2 sources covered this story

Each source's own headline, political lean, and sentiment — so you can see framing differences at a glance.

SourceTheir headlineBiasSentiment
news18ISRO To Open Gaganyaan Astronaut Selection To Civilians As India Expands Space PlansCenterPositive
indiatodayCivilians next as Gaganyaan astronauts: Inside details of Isro's big planCenterPositive

Coverage timeline

indiatoday broke this story on 29 Apr, 07:31 am. Other outlets followed.

  1. 1
    indiatoday29 Apr, 07:31 am
    Civilians next as Gaganyaan astronauts: Inside details of Isro's big plan
  2. 2
    news1829 Apr, 11:06 am
    ISRO To Open Gaganyaan Astronaut Selection To Civilians As India Expands Space Plans

Lens Score breakdown

31/100
Public interest0/100
Coverage gap100%

Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.

Who's involved

Institutions and figures named across source coverage.

Government
Institute of Aerospace MedicineIndian Space Research Organisation

Story context

Category
Tech
Location
India
Sources analysed
2
Last analysed
29 Apr 2026
Key entities
Human spaceflightAstronautIndiaScience, technology, engineering, and mathematicsSpace stationGaganyaanRoscosmosTest pilotIndian Air ForceIndian Space Research OrganisationOrbitMoon