India is celebrating its second National Space Day tomorrow, August 23. The day commemorates the successful soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission's Vikram Lander on the Moon's south pole on August 23, 2023. This landing was historic, as it made India the only country to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon's southern polar region. This landmark achievement is one of many that the country has accomplished in recent years, demonstrating the strength of India's space programme.
This year, ISRO completed another historic mission by sending an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station. In a press conference held on August 21, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan stated, "In the last 10 years, the progress has been phenomenal and exponential. The number of missions completed from 2015 to 2025 is almost double that of the period from 2005 to 2015. Over the last six months, three important missions have been accomplished. The Axiom-4 mission is a prestigious one. The first Indian was taken to the International Space Station and brought back safely: Shubhanshu Shukla".
Upcoming ISRO space missions
ISRO is significantly expanding its space programme to enhance India's technological capabilities, foster industry collaboration, and strengthen the country's position in global space exploration. The space agency has already received approval for major projects such as the Gaganyaan programme, Chandrayaan-4 mission, Venus Orbiter Mission, and the ambitious Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) project.
Gaganyaan Mission
The Gaganyaan programme, initially approved in December 2018, is designed to launch human spaceflight missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lay the groundwork for India's long-term ambitions in human space exploration. ISRO will lead the Gaganyaan programme, working closely with industry, academia, and other national agencies.
Four missions under the current Gaganyaan plan are expected by 2026, followed by four additional missions focused on demonstrating and validating technologies for the space station by December 2028. ISRO chief V Narayanan has recently confirmed that the first test Gaganyaan mission will launch in December of this year.
Chandrayaan-4 Mission
The Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to develop and demonstrate key technologies required for returning to Earth after a successful lunar landing. This mission will also focus on collecting samples from the Moon and analysing them on Earth. The mission will showcase advanced technologies for docking, undocking, landing, and returning safely to Earth, along with lunar sample collection and analysis. Approved on September 14, 2024, and expected to be completed within 36 months of approval, the mission will have strong participation from industry and academia.
Venus Orbiter Mission
The ambitious Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) marks a major step forward in India's planetary exploration efforts beyond the Moon and Mars. The mission, led by the Department of Space, will place a scientific spacecraft in orbit around Venus. The mission aims to improve our understanding of the planet's surface, subsurface, atmospheric processes, and the Sun's influence on its atmosphere.
Investigating the causes behind Venus’s transformation from a potentially habitable planet to its current state will provide crucial insights into the evolutionary paths of both Venus and Earth. The mission is expected to launch in March 2028, offering significant scientific insights and various outcomes, particularly in answering unresolved questions about Venus.
Bharatiya Antariksh Station
The construction of the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) marks a significant expansion of the Gaganyaan programme. This decision paves the way for missions aimed at developing and validating the technologies required to build and operate the Indian space station. The revised scope of the Gaganyaan programme will now include precursor missions for BAS, additional hardware requirements, and the inclusion of an additional uncrewed mission.
India will acquire vital capabilities for human space missions to LEO through the establishment of BAS. This national space facility will significantly enhance microgravity-based scientific research and technology development.
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