People watch a live stream of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s landing on the moon, inside an auditorium of Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad, India, August 23, 2023. (Reuters)
India’s space ambitions revealed in BJP’s election manifesto, targeting moon landing by 2035 and an Indian Space Station in LEO by 2040
The Indian Space Station is currently in the conceptualization stage with ISRO conducting feasibility studies and has set a target of 2035 for completion. India will land an astronaut on the moon, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has said in its election manifesto as the country gears up to begin voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The space agency has set a target for 2040 to accomplish the feat. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) made history last year on August 23 when it succeeded in its second attempt to become only the fourth country in the world to successfully land on the moon – and the first to touchdown near the lunar South Pole. However, this feat was achieved using an automated Lander and a Rover which were sent to space as part of Chandrayaan-3. No Indian astronaut has so far travelled to space from Indian soil.
The party said if it comes to power in the upcoming polls, it will steer the launch of Gaganyaan – India’s first ever human spaceflight and land on the moon. The preparations for Gaganyaan are already underway with several tech demonstrations planned over the coming two years. The first unmanned Test Vehicle flight (TV-D01) was conducted last October and the next will be conducted in the next few months.
The space agency, under ISRO chief S Somanath, has also shortlisted four astronaut-designates who will be part of the historic mission set for a late 2025 launch. Only four countries in the world – the Soviet Union (now Russia), the US and China have been successful in human spaceflight. It is also conducting feasibility studies for further robotic exploration of the moon through orbiters, landers and rovers, along with lunar sample collection and return, eventually followed by human landing on the Moon.
The manifesto – ‘Sankalp Patra’ – also promises an Indian Space Station in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). However, this space station is only in a conceptualization phase wherein the overall architecture, number and type of modules, and docking ports are being studied. It will take another decade or so and could see completion by 2035. “The allocation of funds for setting up of the space station shall be sought once the feasibility studies are completed and the proposal is put up for formal Government approval at an appropriate stage,” Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh had recently told the Parliament.
The manifesto also includes promises of setting up a Space Academy under ISRO and IIST with fellowship programmes for both national and international students. “We aim to significantly increase the value of the space economy and position India as a leading space power,” it reads.
The BJP-led government has been in power for consecutive two terms starting in 2014 and is set to face its toughest test this April-May when the 1.3 billion population gears up to elect its next government. The two-month-long Lok Sabha elections will start on 19 April and continue till 1 June. The results will be declared on June 5. The Indian National Congress (INC) party has already released its manifesto – Nyaya Patra focusing on providing justice for all groups and jobs for the youth.
