PM Modi “directs” ISRO to land man on moon by 2040

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• PM Modi “directs” ISRO to land man on moon by 2040

• PM sets ambitious new goals, including an indigenous space station by 2035, Indian on the moon by 2040, and interplanetary missions to orbit Venus, land on Mars; Space department to make roadmap

• Signalling a roadmap for India’s future space ambitions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “directed” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up an India-crafted, indigenous space station by 2035 and land an Indian on the moon by 2040. This followed a review of preparations for the Gaganyaan mission — India’s first manned mission to space, scheduled for 2025 — on October 17.

• “Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L-1 missions, Prime Minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Mission to the moon, and beyond Mr. Modi chaired the meeting to assess the progress of the Gaganyaan mission and outline the future of Indian space exploration. The Department of Space (DoS), under which ISRO functions, presented the state of preparedness and technologies developed for Gaganyaan. A critical test of a module called the Crew Escape System Test vehicle is scheduled for Saturday. The DoS will make a roadmap for moon exploration, which will consist of a “series of Chandrayaan missions, developing a new generation launch vehicle, constructing a new launch pad, setting up human-centric laboratories and associated technologies,” the PMO statement said.