ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced that the Centre has approved the Chandrayaan-5 mission, which aims to further India’s lunar exploration capabilities and contribute to the country’s goal of landing on the Moon by 2040. He also revealed that ISRO has been tasked with establishing India’s own space station, the “Bharatiya Antriksh Station,” by 2035. Speaking at a felicitation event, Narayanan emphasized India’s ambitious space projects, including Chandrayaan-4, which will focus on landing and sample collection, and Chandrayaan-5, which will feature a 350 kg rover. He highlighted ISRO’s collaboration with Japan on upcoming lunar missions.
India has made significant strides in space exploration, having successfully executed three Chandrayaan missions, with Chandrayaan-3 achieving a historic soft landing on the Moon’s south pole. ISRO has also launched 433 satellites in the last decade, with a remarkable 90% success rate. Narayanan acknowledged the challenges faced, particularly the setbacks of Chandrayaan-2, but expressed pride in India’s rapid advancements. The space agency continues to expand its capabilities, with a growing commercial presence, having launched satellites for 34 countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Israel, through its PSLV, LVM3, and SSLV launch vehicles.
India is also advancing its space infrastructure with the development of a new rocket launch facility in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remotely laid the foundation stone for the spaceport, which aims to support the launch of Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs) to meet the increasing demand for global satellite deployment. At the Chennai event, Narayanan also praised ISRO’s contributions, such as the discovery of water on the Moon by Chandrayaan-1 and the launch of Aditya-L1 for solar research. He expressed gratitude for the support of the Indian government and reaffirmed ISRO’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration.
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