India's space ambitions strengthen national safety: Isro chief Narayanan

Isro chairman Dr V Narayanan said India's space missions - from Chandrayaan to Gaganyaan - strengthen national security, advance science, and pave the way for a crewed lunar landing by 2040

Dr V Narayanan, chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Saturday stressed how India’s evolving space programme plays a crucial role in advancing both scientific knowledge and national security.

 

In a valedictory session at The Blueprint Discourse, moderated by Business Standard's Satarupa Bhattacharjya, Dr Narayanan said: “We have structured our space activities under five verticals since 1962: space transportation systems, space infrastructure and satellite technology, space applications, capacity building, and, recently, space science and astronomy.”

 

He explained that space applications — currently numbering 55 — serve to improve the standard of living while strengthening national security.

 

 

In fact, throughout his address, Dr Narayanan emphasised the link between space technology and India’s security infrastructure. Satellites support secure communications, disaster management, and strategic surveillance. "Our responsibility is to ensure safety and security of every citizen of India. And towards that, the space satellite can help in this. Another thing is communication. It can help in assured secured communication."

 

Reaching for the moon and Mars

 

Dr Narayanan highlighted India’s landmark lunar and interplanetary missions. “Our first interplanetary mission, Chandrayaan-1, (sic) brought glory to the country. Together with the US, we were the first to discover water molecules on the moon. Former President Kalam suggested placing the Indian tricolor on the lunar surface, which we proudly did.”

 

He recounted the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), noting the technical challenge: “The orbiter traveled 680 million kilometres over 297 days at 25,000-27,000 kmph. On capture day, after nearly 300 days in space, we restarted the engine successfully — the first country to achieve a Mars orbit in its maiden attempt.”

 

Chandrayaan-2, though unable to achieve a soft landing, placed India’s high-resolution 32-centimetre camera in lunar orbit, capturing thousands of photos and generating valuable scientific data. Chandrayaan-3 achieved a historic soft landing near the moon's south pole in August 2023, discovering eight minerals and measuring thermal and seismic properties of Earth's only natural satellite.

 

Crewed spaceflight on the radar

 

India’s next frontier is a manned lunar mission, Narayanan noted. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed us to land Indian astronauts on the moon by 2040, conduct experiments, and return them safely,” he said. He emphasised that while the Chandrayaan missions made significant discoveries, the 2040 programme is a technology development initiative involving robotics, artificial intelligence, docking, and de-docking.

 

Addressing the timeline for India’s human spaceflight program, Dr Narayanan explained: “The Gaganyaan programme was announced in August 2018. Human-rated rockets are more complex than conventional satellites. Safety is important, so we are developing pressurised orbital modules, environmental controls, and crew safety systems — all indigenously. About 75-80 per cent of development is complete.” 'Human-rating' is a certification that deems a spacecraft capable of safely transporting humans to space and back.

 

Three uncrewed missions are planned first, including a December launch this year carrying Vyommitra, a half-humanoid robot, to test systems before sending astronauts.

 

India’s space station by 2035

 

Dr Narayanan also confirmed plans for a 52-tonne space station, with five modules to be assembled in orbit. The first module is expected to be launched into space by 2028. “The Prime Minister’s directive emphasises both capability and security,” he said, highlighting satellites’ roles in assured and secured communication for national defence.