It’s the first anniversary of the Chandrayaan-3 landing. A year since a billion Indian hearts swelled with pride as India became the first country to soft-land near the moon’s south pole.
National Space Day celebrates the historic event, which put India among the top players in space exploration. After the moon, what has India set its sights on? Building on the success and the lessons from the Chandryaan-3 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation is working full throttle on Chandrayaan 4 and 5.
The design of Chandrayaan 4 and 5 is complete and government approval is pending. The mission goal will be to collect lunar samples and bring them back to Earth. Chandrayaan 4 is set for launch in 2028. Chandrayaan-5 is a collaboration between India and Japan to land a large rover on the moon.
There is also NISAR or NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite. It is ISRO’s joint mission with NASA to study Earth’s ecosystems and hazards. It is expected to launch between October 2024 and February 2025.
Then there’s Gaganyaan-1, India’s first human spaceflight mission. Three crew members will be sent into orbit for a three-day mission. Gaganyaan is expected to be launched in 2025.
ISRO is also eyeing Mars with Mangalyaan-2. India’s second Mars mission is aimed at studying the red planet’s surface and atmosphere. The launch is planned for late 2024.
An ambitious mission to Venus is also in the pipeline. Payloads for Shukrayaan-1 have already been developed and it is expected to be launched between late 2024 and 2026. A space tourism initiative by ISRO is set for 2030. The module will likely cost Rs 6 crore for each space tourist. There’s also SPADEX or Space Docking Experiment, which will demonstrate orbital docking capabilities.
Another major project underway is Bharatiya Antariksh Station. ISRO is working towards setting up India’s first space station by 2035.
India’s space exploration ambitions
In 2023, the Indian government introduced a New Space Policy to encourage private sector participation. It supports satellite building and technology development. The Union Budget 2024 also included a 1,000 crore venture capital fund and public-private partnerships for Earth observation. These initiatives will go a long way in fuelling innovation and growth in India’s space sector.
