ISRO prepares for busiest phase till March
New Delhi: ISRO chairman V Narayanan has shared details on the agency's intensive future roadmap, which includes ambitious lunar exploration, the start of an Indian Space Station, and a significant acceleration of its launch and production capacity.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is entering a very busy time with plans for seven more rocket launches before the end of the financial year.
These launches will include a commercial satellite for communication and a number of missions using their PSLV and GSLV rockets. A particularly exciting event will be the launch of the first PSLV rocket that has been entirely built by Indian companies.
This is a significant achievement that helps strengthen India’s skills in science and technology and supports local industries.
ISRO is also simultaneously working to triple its annual spacecraft production within the next three years to meet the expanding mission demand. In an interview, Narayanan confirmed that India's first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, remains scheduled for 2027. He clarified that only the timeframe for the uncrewed missions had shifted: "The crewed mission was always planned for 2027, and we are holding on to that date". Three uncrewed test missions will precede the first flight with Indian astronauts.
The government has also approved Chandrayaan-4, a complex lunar sample-return mission, which is India's most complex lunar endeavor yet, and is being targeted for launch in 2028. This mission aims to bring back samples from the moon—a capability currently demonstrated only by the US, Russia, and China.
Important lunar programs
LUPEX: This is a partnership between India and Japan aimed at exploring the lunar south pole, specifically to study water ice found there.
Moon Landing Goal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed India's space organization, ISRO, to plan for sending Indian astronauts to the Moon and safely bringing them back by the year 2040. This effort is part of India's ambition to be among the top space-faring nations in the world.
Indian Space Station: ISRO has begun work on an Indian Space Station, which is targeted for completion by 2035. The first of its five modules is planned for orbit placement by 2028.
This endeavor would establish India as the third major nation to operate a space station, as the US-led ISS nears its end and China's Tiangong moves into full operation.Narayanan noted that space-sector reforms have sharply increased private participation. More than 450 industries and 330 startups are now active in India's space ecosystem, a massive increase from just three startups a few years ago. This acceleration followed regulatory reforms in 2020, which enabled private rocket development, satellite manufacture, and commercial launch services.
