India eyes launch of over 100 satellites in the next 15 years
NEW DELHI, Aug 23: India marked National Space Day with a major boost to its space ambitions as ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan formally announced the Chandrayaan-4 mission, alongside a sweeping roadmap that envisions lunar sample return, interplanetary exploration, and the country’s first space station.
“We are going to have a Chandrayaan-4 mission, a Venus Orbiter Mission, and a space station called the Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS) by 2035. The first module will be launched by 2028. By 2040, India will land on the Moon and bring back samples safely,” Dr. Narayanan said while unveiling the future course of the Indian space programme.
The announcement positions India as one of the few nations preparing for lunar sample return, with Chandrayaan-4 slated after the Chandrayaan-3 success. The roadmap also includes the Venus Orbiter Mission, the development of a Next Generation Launcher (NGL), and plans to place an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040.
Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who also released a 15-year roadmap for the space sector, said India will launch over 100 satellites in the next decade and a half. These will be a mix of government technology missions and private sector-driven projects.
“India’s space programme has entered a transformative phase. From once being limited to symbolic milestones, it has now become a vital contributor to scientific progress, technological innovation, and public welfare,” Singh said. He added that the opening up of the space sector has triggered a wave of innovation, with hundreds of start-ups now working on technologies relevant to interplanetary exploration as well as governance, infrastructure, and disaster management.
Highlighting the timeline of upcoming projects, Singh confirmed that the uncrewed Gaganyaan-1 mission carrying humanoid robot Vyommitra will be launched by the end of this year, followed by India’s first human spaceflight in 2027. Chandrayaan-4 is expected in 2028, to be followed by the Venus mission and the assembly of BAS by 2035.
Both Dr Narayanan and Dr Singh underlined that the roadmap aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of placing India’s space programme “at par with the best in the world” and contributing directly to the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. (Agencies)