Isro looking for nutritionists for astronauts. Here's what they will do

Isro has issued two tenders to build a personalised nutrition system for Gaganyatris training in Bengaluru. The Santulan programme is meant to track and adapt diet support as Gaganyaan preparations intensify.Gaganyaan astronauts pose in front on the mission capsule. (Photo: Isro)New Delhi,Sep 30, 2026 13:52 ISTThe Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is preparing a dedicated nutrition programme for its selected Gaganyatris, with its Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) floating two tenders for a year-long initiative called Santulan at its astronaut training facility in Bengaluru.The programme is aimed at providing personalised nutrition support to three Gaganyatris during their training.Under the first tender, Isro is seeking a nutrition consultancy that can provide four nutritionists, one dedicated to each Gaganyatri and a lead nutritionist, to develop and monitor individual nutrition plans. The four Indian astronauts are test pilots from the Indian Air Force. (Photo: PTI) The plans will be built using detailed health and physiological assessments, including blood and urine markers, body composition, metabolic rate and microbiome assessments. The nutrition plans will not remain static. They will be adjusted according to the astronauts' training schedules, recovery requirements, travel and feedback received from the Gaganyatris.A separate tender has been issued for a catering partner that will prepare and deliver fresh meals and workout-related nutrition to the training facility. The catering requirements include having a kitchen located within 10 km of the HSFC facility, along with ingredient traceability and food-safety controls. The contractor will also be expected to maintain an accuracy of 5 per cent for calories and macronutrients in the prescribed meals.The tender documents include separate vegan and non-vegetarian draft menu tables covering the proposed daily nutrition schedule, from pre-breakfast through meals, hydration and pre-bed nutrition.However, these menus are not the final diets of the Gaganyatris. Isro has included them as draft menus primarily for vendors to estimate costs and plan the catering requirements.The final nutrition programme will also include supplements where required. These will be prescribed based on recommendations from nutritionists and doctors rather than being automatically included in the standard menu.The Santulan programme comes as India's human spaceflight programme moves towards increasingly demanding training and mission preparations. Gaganyaan aims to place Indian astronauts in low-Earth orbit aboard an Indian launch vehicle, making astronaut health, fitness and nutrition a critical component of mission preparation.Isro has specified October 14, 2026, at 2 pm IST as the deadline for submitting bids for the two tenders.The contracts will give Isro a dedicated system to track and adjust the astronauts' nutrition throughout their training rather than relying on a fixed meal plan.- Ends