India Plans to Send Astronaut to Moon by 2040, Establish Own Space Station by 2035

New Delhi: India has set its sights on sending an astronaut to the moon by the year 2040, a major announcement from the government on Tuesday revealed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given directives to the country’s space agency ISRO, including plans to establish a space station by 2035.

India’s space ambitions have received a significant boost, underscored by its notable achievement in becoming the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the previously unexplored south pole of the moon in August through Chandrayaan-3. This success followed a failed Russian mission, making India the fourth country in the world to accomplish a soft landing on the lunar surface.

Building on this triumph, India launched a rocket dedicated to studying the sun and is scheduled to conduct a crucial test later this week as part of its crewed space mission.

In an official statement, the government expressed, “The Prime Minister has directed that India should now set its sights on new and ambitious objectives, which include the establishment of the ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and the historic feat of sending the first Indian astronaut to the moon by 2040. To realize this visionary goal, the Department of Space will develop a comprehensive roadmap for lunar exploration.”

Additionally, Prime Minister Modi has urged the nation’s scientists to actively engage in missions to explore Venus and Mars, underlining India’s expanding role in space exploration on a global scale.