India unveils ambitious space goals: Reveals plans for first crewed moon landing by 2040!

The progress on Gaganyaan was assessed by PM Modi in this meeting

The Indian government announced plans to send an astronaut to the lunar surface by the year 2040. This bold endeavour was revealed during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he laid out an ambitious roadmap for India’s space exploration efforts, also including the establishment of an Indian Space Station by 2035.

India’s space program, Chandrayaan – 3, recently achieved a significant milestone when it became the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the uncharted South Pole of the moon in August. This achievement made India the fourth country in the world to achieve a soft lunar landing.

Building upon the success of these missions, Prime Minister Modi has directed the country’s space department to aim higher, setting the goal of creating the ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ or Indian Space Station by 2035 and sending the first Indian astronaut to the moon by 2040. This vision is supported by a comprehensive roadmap for moon exploration, which will include a series of Chandrayaan missions and the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), among other key initiatives.

ISRO elaborates on “The Gaganyaan project”, stating that they envisage a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in the Indian sea waters.

According to PIB, the Department of Space’s presentation during the meeting highlighted the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission, which includes critical technologies such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification. Approximately 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), are in the pipeline.

The first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled for October 21, 2023, reaffirming the mission’s readiness for a 2025 launch. ISRO is ready for the Gaganyaan human space mission’s Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission, scheduled for this Saturday between 7 am and 9 am.

ISRO took to X, formerly Twitter, to announce the scheduled launch of the Gaganyaan human space mission.

In addition to these lunar aspirations, Prime Minister Modi called upon Indian scientists to pursue interplanetary missions, which would encompass a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander. The prime minister expressed unwavering confidence in India’s capabilities and reiterated the nation’s commitment to reaching new heights in space exploration.

With these ambitious goals in sight, the Prime Minister commits to making India a significant player in the international space arena, as it seeks to explore, conquer, and expand its presence beyond Earth’s boundaries.