Vyommitra
India's first space astronaut robot — she speaks six languages and is about to fly to space.
In one sentence
Vyommitra is a half-humanoid robot built by ISRO to fly into space on uncrewed test flights before Indian astronauts go.
The wow factor
Three things that make Vyommitra genuinely impressive.
Speaks six Indian languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu.
First space-qualified humanoid robot built in India.
Her name means 'Friend of Space' in Sanskrit.
How it works
A step-by-step breakdown, in plain English.
- 1Torso and head house cameras, mics, and onboard compute.
- 2Two arms manipulate Gaganyaan crew-module switches and panels.
- 3Face/voice recognition identifies crew members during flight.
- 4Life-support sensors monitor cabin environment (pressure, gases, temperature).
- 5Radiation-hardened electronics survive launch and space conditions.
Where you've probably seen it
Unveiled at the 2020 Human Spaceflight Symposium in Bengaluru. Featured in dozens of Indian news outlets and trends on social media every Gaganyaan update.
The team behind it
Built by ISRO's U.R. Rao Satellite Centre and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Project led by ISRO chairman S. Somanath and the Gaganyaan team.
The full story
Vyommitra (from Sanskrit Vyom = space, Mitra = friend) is a humanoid robot built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the Gaganyaan crewed space mission. Unveiled in January 2020, Vyommitra is a 'half-humanoid' (torso, arms, head, no legs) designed to fly inside the Gaganyaan crew module on uncrewed test flights before Indian astronauts fly. Vyommitra can monitor the spacecraft's environment, switch panel operations, perform life-support functions, recognise crew members, and answer their queries in Hindi and English.
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Vyommitra in 2 minutes
Learn the science behind Vyommitra
Three Atlas entries that explain how Vyommitra actually works.
Mind-blowing facts
Vyommitra's name literally means 'friend of space' in Sanskrit.
She can speak six Indian languages.
Vyommitra is the first space-qualified humanoid robot built in India.