Bengaluru, April 3 ISRO on Friday said it has undertaken the MITRA mission in Leh, the Union Territory of Ladakh, from April 2 to 9, a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study for the benefit of human spaceflight missions such as Gaganyaan.
The mission, inaugurated by ISRO chairman V Narayanan, was primarily focused on crew safety and performance.
"Mission MITRA is a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study designed by ISRO and the IAF-Institute of Aerospace Medicine to examine the physiological, psychological, and operational dynamics of crew and ground teams functioning in a high-altitude environment," ISRO said in a statement.
The study aims to generate vital understanding on the team interoperability between crew (Gaganyaan participants) and ground control teams, as well as the effectiveness of decision-making under environmental and operational stress, the space agency said.
ISRO noted that crew safety and performance are the most critical elements of all Human Spaceflight Missions, and that the ability of the crew to communicate effectively, adapt to stress, maintain psychological resilience, and support one another determines the success and safety of any mission.
The space agency added that analogue missions conducted under controlled yet realistic conditions are utilized to understand how crews perform under challenging conditions.
The space agency said that the high altitude of approximately 3,500 meters in Leh, with its environmental conditions of hypoxia, low temperature, and isolation, is a natural analogue for spaceflight operations.