Human spaceflight

ISRO announced IMEx-2026 on January 29, 2026, inviting Indian researchers to propose microgravity experiments for its human-spaceflight programme. Topics include materials, biology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, fluids, heat transfer, combustion and in-space manufacturing. The process begins with laboratory-scale feasibility models using institutional resources. Promising projects may then receive support for terrestrial microgravity validation. Only selected experiments, subject to safety, feasibility, platform limits and scientific expectations, may be considered for low-Earth-orbit flights, including future Bharatiya Antariksh Station opportunities. Technical guidance and engineering coordination are conditional, with arrangements formalised through agreements with the Human Space Flight Centre. The call does not guarantee funding or a flight slot for every applicant, and does not establish that the future station is operational. The original cycle deadline was February 28, 2026; this historical article does not present it as still open at backfill time. Actual experiment outcomes require later evidence, distinct from the creation of a participation pathway.