India to land man on Moon by 2040, set up space station by 2035: PM Modi

Private sector players see huge business opportunity through joint ecosystem with ISRO

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi added two new goals for India's space ambitions: to set up an Indian space station by 2035 and to send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040. The space industry in the country was quick to welcome the move, indicating that the new target will not only see heavy investments but also enhance the private sector's role in India's space ecosystem.

Modi gave these directions during a meeting to review the preparedness of the Gaganyaan mission (the country's first human mission) and the first demonstration flight of the crew escape system test vehicle scheduled for October 21. According to a statement, Modi said that India should target a "Bharatiya Antariksha Station" (Indian space station) by 2035 and send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

"The advantage with India is that it is number one in cost efficiency. That is where this feat will be an important goal for the private sector too, to come up with new technologies and contribute to a joint ecosystem with the government," said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, a startup that developed Vikram-S, India's first privately developed rocket launched earlier this year.

"Until now, we have done rockets, satellites, and more. Human missions were the place where India was lagging behind. Putting a man on the Moon will be the next level to that. The Indian Space Station will be a stepping stone towards that," he added.

India's plan for a space station is coming at a time when the United States space agency, NASA, has already announced plans to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) in 2031. The Prime Minister reportedly outlined the future of India's space exploration endeavours and urged scientists to work towards interplanetary missions, including a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.

"A commitment to setting up a space station by 2035 and sending an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040 will unmistakably bring space technology to the forefront," said Awais Ahmed, founder and chief executive officer of Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based space technology startup. "This ambitious mission will catalyse significant technological advancements in space exploration and its related fields. Moreover, it will create extensive opportunities for research, generate employment, and stimulate public interest," he added.

"Building a Space Station is a key step enabling ISRO's stellar space talent, also to do more ambitious research. At the same time, this is going to be vital for private players like us, as it's going to act as a testbed for launching cubesats, conducting space bio-research, and much more," said Suyash Singh, co-founder, and chief executive officer of GalaxyEye.

To realise this vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration. "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 statement added.

The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission, including various technologies developed so far, such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification. It was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), are planned.

(With inputs from agencies)