India is set to commence the construction of its inaugural space station in the first phase by 2028, with the entire project anticipated to be completed by 2035, according to recent announcements from authorities.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that it is currently in the process of designing the orbital station. 'We have developed a design project that can be launched by the LVM3 rocket, and we will initiate the launch of the first unit of the station in 2028,' stated Sridhara Panicker Somnath, Chairman of ISRO.
In October 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the space agency to establish the first Indian manned space station in Earth orbit by 2035, with the goal of achieving an Indian crew landing on the moon by 2040. India's space aspirations received a significant boost when it became the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the unexplored south pole of the moon in August 2023, making it the fourth country to achieve a soft landing.
Following this milestone, India launched a rocket to study the sun and is scheduled to conduct a test later this week as part of its crewed space mission. In addition to building its own space station, India aims to send the first Indian astronaut to the moon by 2040.
