New Delhi: India will launch Chandrayaan-4 in 2028, aiming to bring back three kilograms of lunar soil and become only the fourth country, after the US, Russia, and China, to return samples from the Moon.
The mission, described by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan as the nation’s “most complex lunar endeavor,” will use two rockets and five modules, which will dock in Earth’s orbit before departing for the Moon.
Chandrayaan-4 will be India’s first lunar sample-return mission, making it the country’s most advanced moon exploration project to date. ISRO has announced its intent to triple the production of spacecraft over the next three years to meet the growing demand for launches and scientific missions. The agency plans to conduct seven more launches in the current financial year. This scale-up aligns with India’s goal of expanding its presence in the global space market and increasing private sector participation.
The space agency is also progressing steadily on Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission, slated for 2027. The government has further tasked ISRO with the goal of sending Indian astronauts to the moon and bringing them back safely by 2040, strengthening India’s strategic and exploratory ambitions.
Another ambitious project in ISRO’s pipeline is the creation of an Indian Space Station, with the first module expected to be launched by 2028 and full completion targeted by 2035.
Dream ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047: Shubhanshu ShuklaBengaluru: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has called upon people to take up the responsibility to realise the dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. Group Captain Shukla is an Indian Air Force officer and test pilot. He and three other astronauts have been selected and trained to go to space in India’s first manned mission, ‘Gaganyaan’, which is expected to take place in 2027. Addressing a gathering at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, Shukla said, "To realise our dream of Viksit Bharat-2047, my only request to all of you is to take up the responsibility and think ‘How can I take India from here to be a developed nation in 2047’." He said, "India will soon have its citizens going to space on an Indian launch rocket in an Indian capsule from Indian soil. "And for that to happen, all of you have to come together and contribute. You have to think about what you can do, how can you enable this to happen – from developing a simple straw to developing a complex life support system – everything is required right now, going into the future.” |
