Role of Terrestrial Analogue Environments for Design and Development of Robotic and Human Exploration Systems for the Indian Space Program

Abstract

Terrestrial analogue environments play a critical role in the design and development of robotic and human exploration systems for space missions. For the Indian Space Program, rapidly expanding its lunar and interplanetary exploration capabilities, leveraging Earth-based environments mimicking extraterrestrial conditions is essential. Analogue sites like impact craters, basaltic regions, and high-altitude cold deserts such as Ladakh, provide invaluable testing grounds for refining exploration technologies and human mission protocols. This paper overviews work identifying and categorizing Indian terrestrial analogues, highlighting their context-specific use for robotic and human missions, drawing on eight years of research including robotic testing and scientific analysis (microbiology, geochemistry) in Ladakh, supporting planetary science, astrobiology, and ISRO's technology validation needs.