By A Correspondent
Bengaluru (Karnataka): India’s human spaceflight ambitions are gathering unprecedented momentum, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announcing on November 19, 2025, that nearly 80,000 tests have been completed as part of preparations for the Gaganyaan mission, the country’s first crewed spaceflight.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said scientists are “ready at any given time” to launch the first uncrewed test flight — one of three — ahead of the historic human mission.
Speaking at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, during a session on India’s Space Vision 2047, Narayanan said the organisation is fully prepared for the uncrewed mission, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi will determine the final launch date.
The first uncrewed mission is currently targeted for December 2025, while the manned Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
India’s First Space Station by 2035
Narayanan reaffirmed that ISRO’s broader long-term milestones remain firmly on track. Central to this roadmap is the Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS), India’s first indigenous space station.
The first module of BAS, designed to be parked in space, will be launched in 2028. The fully assembled 52-tonne station is expected to be complete by 2035, offering India long-duration human spaceflight capability and paving the way for deeper space exploration.
New Era of Lunar Exploration
ISRO also laid out an ambitious schedule for India’s next-generation Chandrayaan missions, building on the success of Chandrayaan-3, which delivered India’s first soft landing on the Moon in August 2024.
Chandrayaan-4, slated for 2027, will be India’s first sample-return mission. Its spacecraft mass will be 9,600 kg, more than double that of Chandrayaan-3, enabling a far more complex mission profile.
Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX), planned for 2028 in collaboration with Japan, aims for a three-month lunar exploration mission in the Moon’s polar regions.
The mission will deploy a heavy-duty lander weighing 6,150 kg and a 350 kg rover, compared to Chandrayaan-3’s 25-kg rover and 1,747-kg lander. Chandrayaan-5 is expected to operate for 100 days, a massive leap from the 14-day lifespan of its predecessor.
Narayanan noted that ISRO is now focusing on developing high-capacity landers and rovers, leveraging advanced propulsion, imaging, and autonomous navigation technologies.
Toward Crewed Lunar Landings and Mars Ambitions
ISRO’s future lunar plan extends deep into the next decade:
- 2031–32: Infrastructure development for long-term lunar missions
- 2033–37: Tech demonstrations for new propulsion and lander systems
- 2038–39: First crewed lunar orbit mission
- 2040: First crewed lunar landing
Beyond the Moon, ISRO is pushing forward with interplanetary ambitions. The Venus Orbiter Mission is scheduled for 2028, and India is seeking approval for a soft landing on Mars by 2030, marking a major leap from the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan).
Boosting India’s Share in the Global Space Economy
Narayanan outlined aggressive targets to expand India’s footprint in the global space market. India’s current share stands at 2% (USD 8.4 billion). The goal:
- 8% by 2035 (USD 49 billion)
- 11% by 2047 (USD 130 billion)
- 15% by 2062 (USD 374 billion)
To support this growth, ISRO plans to triple its satellite fleet from today’s 57 and ramp up launch capacity from 12–18 launches annually to 50 per year within five years.
Together, these milestones underline India’s accelerating emergence as a major space power, one preparing not just to send its citizens into space, but to build, explore, and lead in humanity’s next chapter beyond Earth.
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