17-year-old becomes India's youngest analog astronaut after Moon mission

A 17-year-old has become India's youngest analog astronaut after completing an eight-day Moon-like habitat mission in the white plains of Dholavira, where he lived in isolation and helped test systems designed to simulate life beyond Earth.

17-year-old Aditya Pandya has become India’s youngest male analog astronaut after taking part in a lunar-habitat-inspired space mission in the white plains of Dholavira in Gujarat’s Kutch region.

From February 1 to February 8, AAKA Space Studio, a space research and simulation organisation and a registered ISRO Space Tutor, conducted the analog mission to study how humans live and work in isolation under Moon-like conditions.

The mission focused on habitat living, crew autonomy, and system reliability in a controlled but demanding environment.

The mission involved a four-member analog astronaut crew who lived together inside a container-based habitat for the entire duration. The crew followed strict protocols similar to planetary missions, with limited external interaction and dependence on onboard systems for daily operations.

Aditya’s role extended beyond that of a crew member. He also led the mission’s hardware, Internet of Things (IoT), and habitat intelligence systems. For six months before the mission, he worked on building the technology that powered the habitat, combining engineering design with real-world testing.

The lunar analog habitat was designed to mirror the constraints of a Moon-like environment. It included a digital twin framework that allowed real-time synchronisation between the physical habitat and mission control systems.