India's Space Breakthrough: Aaka Space Joins World's Largest Moon-Mars Mission

The two-week proof-of-concept mission, conducted from October 13 to 26, brought together 17 analog habitats across five continents--Africa, Australia, Asia, America, and Europe--under the coordination of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) from its Mission Control Center in Vienna. The campaign was designed to emulate long-duration human presence on the Moon and Mars, making it the first mission of its kind in the world.

This milestone follows Aaka Space's earlier achievements, including India's first lunar analog mission in 2022 and the Ladakh Human Analog Mission (LHAM), conducted in collaboration with ISRO, IIT Bombay, and the University of Ladakh. For this global mission, Aaka Space partnered with IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, PRL Ahmedabad, Nirma University, KSKV Kutch University, BSIP Lucknow, Government Arts College Ooty, and Government Arts College Salem.

The Indian analog site was established in western Kachchh, Gujarat, near the Laiari River section of the Jurassic-age Jhuran Sandstone formation, known for its hematite-bearing spherical concretions that resemble the "blueberries" discovered by NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars. This unique terrain served as a rare terrestrial analog site for planetary science, geobiology, and field simulations.

Aaka Space developed a fully solar-powered analog habitat, featuring indigenous life-support systems, mission control hardware & software, and environmental sensors--all designed and prototyped in-house. The facility represents India's growing capability in human spaceflight research, space architecture, and analog simulation technology.

According to a company statement, a historic highlight of the mission was the presence of Astronaut Prashant Nair, who stayed inside the habitat as Mission Commander, overseeing crew operations, environmental control systems, and EVA (extravehicular activity) protocols. His participation brought international attention to India's advancements in analog research and mission preparedness.

Adding to the mission's significance, India's first cross-gender analog crew, led by Jaya Tare, a retired Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, along with Krishna Bulchandani and Balaji Keerthan, successfully completed a diverse set of experiments, including:

* Development and testing of Asia's first 3D-printed Mars regolith radiation shield

* Rover-based sample collection missions

* Design of a Mars-specific energy storage battery

* Tardigrade resilience studies to understand life in extreme environments

* Human physiological and psychological assessments under analog conditions

"This mission is not only about representing India on the global stage but also about pioneering indigenous space habitat technologies that prepare humanity for future Moon and Mars settlements," Aaka Space said in a statement.

Aastha Jhala, the Founder of Aaka Space and the mind behind India's analog ecosystem, added, "With every analog mission, we are strengthening India's role in shaping the future of human space exploration. From the lunar analogs of Kutch to this global Moon/Mars simulation, our goal has been to create meaningful collaborations between research, design, and human experience--bridging space science with life on Earth."

The mission's success establishes Aaka Space as a frontrunner in India's analog and space habitat development ecosystem and positions Gujarat's planetary analog sites as emerging international hubs for space research, geotourism, and astrobiological exploration.

- ANI