India is working towards establishing its own space station by 2035, with the first module of the proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Station already approved, Isro Chairman Dr V Narayanan said on Sunday.
“Today, we are celebrating the third National Space Day. Speaking at the third National Space Day celebrations in Ahmedabad, Narayanan highlighted India’s growing capabilities in space technology and said the country is now using space-based applications across more than 50 areas directly serving citizens. He said India has been steadily expanding its capabilities since launching its space programme 64 years ago.
The theme is very important: innovation, collaboration, and aspiring for global leadership in the space sector,” Narayanan said. “India started its space programme 64 years ago, and today we are serving the common man in more than 50 areas, including Earth observation, remote sensing, telecommunications, television broadcasting, tele-education, disaster warning and mitigation, ensuring the safety and security of every citizen, navigation, real-time monitoring and tracking,” the Isro chief said.
Narayanan also outlined some of the country’s major upcoming space programmes, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and the development of India’s own space station. With Gaganyaan and the proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Station, India is now looking beyond lunar exploration towards sustained human activity in space and a larger role in the global space ecosystem.
