In October 2025, Dr. V Narayanan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the space agency has set the target to launch crewed moon mission by 2040, while its maiden human spaceflight mission ‘Gaganyaan’ is on track for launch in 2027.
- In addition to these, ISRO’s chairman informed about some of the ambitious space projects and sector reforms that were currently underway such as: national space station by 2035; and 3 crewed ‘Gaganyaan’ missions by 2026, with the 1st one that includes a half-humanoid robot ‘Vyommitra’, expected to be launched in December 2025.
- These announcements were made by him during the 35th convocation ceremony of Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Exam Hints:
- What? Announcement of targeted timelines of Space Projects
- By Whom? Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO
- Targeted timelines of Projects: crewed moon mission by 2040
- 3 crewed ‘Gaganyaan’ missions by 2026
- Half-humanoid robot ‘Vyomitra’, expected to be launched in December 2025
- Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS), India’s space station to be launched by 2035
New Projects: Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), to study v planet Venus; Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5; a new Mars mission; and AXOM, a high-priority astronomical observatory mission.
Current Status of Key Space Projects:
VOM: He also informed that the Government of India (GoI) has approved a new space mission named ‘Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM)’, aimed to study various facets of planet Venus including its surface and atmosphere.
Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS): It will be India’s 1st Space Station, designed on the lines of International Space Station (ISS), is expected to come up by 2035, and initial modules in space are expected as early as 2027.
Upcoming Projects: While addressing the event, V Narayanan listed out some of India’s upcoming projects in space sector including, Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5; a new Mars mission; and AXOM, a high-priority astronomical observatory mission.
Key Accomplishments:
Aditya-L1 Mission: The mission, launched on September 02 2023, has already yielded over 15 tearbits of solar data, with valuable insights into coronal mass ejections and space weather.
Increase in Space Startups: Narayanan highlighted that the space sector witnessed significant transformation through the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), which has integrated startups and private players into the national ecosystem.
- He also mentioned that currently, there are over 300 startups working in satellite manufacturing, launch services, and space-based data analytics.
Global Dominance: Over the years, India has made some significant breakthroughs in space: from discovering water on the moon with Chadrayaan-1, to 1st soft landing near the lunar South Pole with Chandrayaan-3 (in August 2023).
- He further mentioned that Indian has become the world’s 4th country (after Russia; the United States of America, USA; and China), to successfully achieve docking and undocking in space with the success of Space Docking Experiment (SPaDeX) mission.
Milestone Launch: Narayanan stated that ISRO recently achieved its 100th launch milestone from Sriharikota with the successful GSLV-F15/NVS-02 mission.
- He further announced that the Government of India(GoI) has approved the construction of a third launch pad at Sriharikota, designed to support all categories of launch vehicles, including the upcoming Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), at an estimated cost of ₹4,000 crore.
About Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO):
Chairman- Dr. V. Narayanan
Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka
Established- 1969
