Kolkata: ISRO Chairman and Department of Space Secretary V Narayanan said on 22 May in Kolkata that India is preparing to launch its own space station in orbit, a significant step in the country’s expanding space ambitions.
Weighing over 50 tonnes, the proposed station marks a strategic step toward long-term human presence in space.
“This year is a very important year for us. We have declared it as the Gaganyaan year,” Narayanan said, referring to India’s first human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
Approved in 2018, the Gaganyaan mission aims to send humans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and develop essential spaceflight technologies for future exploration.
It should not be noted that before sending astronauts, ISRO will carry out three uncrewed missions, the first of which is scheduled for launch by December this year.
“Till date, more than 7,200 tests have been completed and about 3,000 are still pending. Work is going on round the clock,” he added.
The first uncrewed mission will carry ‘Vyommitra’, a humanoid robot, to simulate human spaceflight scenarios. The maiden crewed mission is targeted for early 2027.
Narayanan also addressed ISRO’s ongoing missions, including Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5. The latter, in collaboration with Japan, will feature a 6,400-kg lander and a 350-kg rover with a planned operational life of 100 days, substantially more advanced than the Chandrayaan-3 lander-rover combo.
Chandrayaan-4, aimed at returning lunar samples, is expected to launch within two and a half years.
He reassured that the recent PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission failure is a rare exception and will not impact ISRO’s future plans, including Gaganyaan and other scientific missions.
Highlighting ISRO’s consistent growth, Narayanan noted that 57 satellites are currently in orbit, providing critical services like weather forecasting and remote education.
The ISRO chief also celebrated the successful completion of the SpaDeX mission, an in-space docking demonstration using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV.
“We accounted for ten kilos of fuel to do this mission, but we did it with only half the fuel. The rest is still available for future experiments,” he said.
Looking ahead, Narayanan mentioned that 2025 will be packed with high-priority missions.
These include the launch of a NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) satellite by an Indian launch vehicle, a major commercial mission and a new communication satellite.
“India is now firmly placed among the top nations in space research,” he said, while also acknowledging the role of women scientists in the country’s scientific achievements.
Narayanan was speaking at an event held at Ram Mohan Mission High School in Kolkata, marking the 253rd birth anniversary of social reformer Raja Rammohan Roy.
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