iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The Union Cabinet of India approved India’s first space station Bharatiya Anatriksh Station by extending the scope of the Gaganyaan program. It also approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission, to land on the moon, collect samples for analysis and return to earth.
“Great news for the space sector! The Union Cabinet has approved the first step towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expanding the Gaganyaan program! This landmark decision brings us closer to a self-sustained space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X on Wednesday, September 18.
With a net additional funding of $1.3 billion (Rs 11,170 crore) in the already approved program, the total funding for the Gaganyaan Program with the revised scope has been enhanced to $2.4 billion (Rs 20,193 crore).
The cabinet has approved the development of the first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and undertaking missions to demonstrate and validate technologies for building and operating BAS. To revise the scope and funding of the Gaganyaan Program to include new developments for BAS and precursor missions and additional requirements.
Revision in the program to include the scope of development and precursor missions for BAS, and factoring one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirement for the developments of the Gaganyaan Program. Eight missions for the human spaceflight program of technology development and demonstration are scheduled to be completed by December 2028 by launching the first unit of BAS-1, the Cabinet stated.
The Gaganyaan Programme approved in December 2018 envisages undertaking human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and laying the foundation of technologies needed for an Indian human space exploration program in the long run. The program will be led by ISRO in collaboration with industry, academia, and other national agencies as stakeholders. The project target is to develop and demonstrate critical technologies for long-duration human space missions. To achieve this goal, ISRO will undertake four missions under the ongoing Gaganyaan Program by 2026 and the development of a first module of BAS & four missions for demonstration & validation of various technologies for BAS by December 2028.
India will acquire essential technological capabilities for human space missions to Low Earth Orbit. “A national space-based facility like the Bharatiya Antariksh Station will boost microgravity-based scientific research & technology development activities. This will lead to technological spin-offs and encourage innovations in key areas of research and development. Enhanced industrial participation and economic activity in the human space program will result in increased employment generation, especially in niche high-technology areas in space and allied sectors,” a government statement said.
The cabinet also approved a mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-4 to develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the Moon and also collect moon samples and analyze them. The Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve the foundational technologies and capabilities for an Indian landing on the moon by 2040 and return safely back to Earth. Major technologies that are required for docking/undocking, landing, and safe return to Earth.
The total fund requirement for the technology demonstration mission “Chandrayaan-4” is $251.36 million (Rs. 2104.06 crore). The cost includes spacecraft development and realization, two launch vehicle missions of LVM3, external deep space network support, and conducting special tests for design validation, leading to the mission of landing on the moon’s surface and safe return to Earth along with the collected lunar sample. The mission would enable India to be self-sufficient in critical foundational technologies for manned missions, lunar sample return, and scientific analysis.
The Indian cabinet also approved the development of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), a significant step towards exploring and studying Venus. The ‘Venus Orbiter Mission’ to be executed by the Department of Space is envisaged to orbit a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of planet Venus for a better understanding of the Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes, and influence of the Sun. The study of the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which is believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth would be an invaluable aid in understanding the evolution of the sister planets, both Venus and Earth.
ISRO will be responsible for the development of the spacecraft and its launch. The data generated from the mission would be disseminated to the scientific community through existing mechanisms. The mission is expected to be accomplished on the opportunity available during March 2028. The total fund approved for the Venus Orbiter Mission is $147.66 million (Rs 1236 crore) out of which Rs $98.44 million (824.00 crore) will be spent on the spacecraft. The mission would enable India for future planetary missions with larger payloads, and optimal orbit insertion approaches.
