Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered the branch to establish the country’s local station called “Bhartiya Antariksha Station” (Hindi translation of Indian Space Station) until 2035, and send India’s first astronaut to the moon five years later, the government said on Tuesday.
Initially, India intended to have its own space station by 2022, which would be operated through the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). However, this plan was delayed due to technical issues affecting the allocation of the country’s “Gaganyaan” manned spaceflight and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The space branch will expand a roadmap for Moon exploration that will come with the progression of a next-generation launch vehicle; build a new launch pad; building human-centered laboratories and similar technologies; as well as a series of Chandrayaan missions, the government said.
Modi tasked the branch at a high-level assembly to assess the progress of the Gaganyaan mission. The project, which is expected to become operational in 2025, aims to release 3 team members into an orbit of about 250 miles (400 kilometers) for 3 days. The first unmanned demonstration flight of the Crew Evacuation System vehicle is scheduled for this week.
About 20 primary tests are planned from the program, adding three unmanned missions of the human launch vehicle (HLVM3), the government said.
“We believe that today’s announcement of the timelines through the Prime Minister will reinforce India’s commitment to deliver new opportunities for our country in the area and drive innovation on this new journey. It will also pave the way for our personnel players to contribute to the development of advancements in our country’s space sector,” said Indian Space Association Director General Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt.
India’s ambition to become a major market for space activities attracted public attention when the country opened its space sector to private companies in June 2020. The government has established the Indian National Centre for Space Promotion and Clearance (IN-SPACe) as a nodal company for cadres with startups and industry. This has helped raise the number of area tech startups in the country to more than 150 and attract foreign investment.
Lately, new Indian ventures are running in other fields, adding launch vehicles for micro and small satellites, construction satellites for hyperspectral imaging, and creating infrastructure for situational awareness.
Earlier this year, India unveiled its long-awaited Space Policy to set rules for collaboration between public and private entities. Industry players welcomed the updated regulations but demanded explanations on foreign direct investment to increase capital injection into the South Asian country.
“Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence in India’s roles and affirmed the nation’s commitment to reach new heights in the exploration of the area,” the government said in a statement.
Modi also called on Indian scientists to adopt interplanetary projects, a Venus Orbiter project and a Mars Lander.
In 2014, India introduced the Mars Orbiter project, called Mangalyaan, as the first interplanetary project to explore the Red Planet. The Indian government also unveiled its Aditya-L1 solar probe in September this year, 10 days after the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft effectively landed. on the lunar surface in August.
India signed NASA’s Artemis Accords in June to partner with countries in space exploration. NASA has also pledged to provide complex education to Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and send them to the International Space Station in 2024.
In 2024, ISRO and NASA are also expected to launch a low-Earth orbit observatory to map the entire planet in 12 days and offer consistent knowledge to analyze alterations in terrestrial ecosystems, ice mass, plant biomass, sea level, and grass errors. and dangers.