Man on moon by 2040: PM Modi sets space target

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 17

Eyeing a major share of the global space market currently dominated by the US and China, India on Tuesday set ambitious goals for the national space agency with an aim to set up a space station by 2035 and send a man on moon by 2040.

ISRO chairman S Somanath today presented space mission goal objectives at a review meeting of the Department of Space chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he also reviewed readiness of Gaganyaan, the human space flight mission for which the first precursor unmanned test flight is to be launched by ISRO on October 21.

Besides the review of the Gaganyaan mission, the high-level meeting was held to outline the future of India’s space exploration endeavours.

It was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicles (HLVM3) were planned. First demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on October 21. The meeting evaluated the mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.

Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 missions, the PM directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian space station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the moon by 2040.

To realise this vision, the Department of Space would develop a roadmap for moon exploration, a government statement said.

This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a next generation launch vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric laboratories and associated technologies.

The PM also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.

Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and affirmed the nation’s commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.

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