Page 42 - NIS English 16-31 August 2025

NATION | National Space Day, August 23

Steps…on which the future flights depend

On 26 June, with Mission Axiom 4, India’s Group Captain
Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian to step into space
and the first Indian to step into the International Space Station. 41
years ago, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had stepped into
space with the Russian Soyuz T-11.
Target
Launch of the first Establishment of a India is preparing to
module of the Indian 2028 full Indian Space 2035 land on the Moon 2040
Space Station by Station by with a crew by

India’s first fully indigenous manned space mission
Gaganyaan program, has been approved with a
financial outlay of about

r20,193 CRORE

Under this, Indian astronauts will be sent to the
lower orbit of the Earth.

Training and training flights of four astronauts have
been completed for Mission Gaganyaan. These four
astronauts are Group Captain PB Nair, Group Captain
Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. Group Captain
Shubhanshu was sent on the Axiom-4 mission as part
of the initial phase of India’s Mission Gaganyaan.

The Gaganyaan mission will lay the India has not only eased the rules to promote startups and
foundation for further advanced missions. private sector, i.e., non-government companies, in the space
After this, India is preparing to establish its sector but has also signed 79 MoUs with non-government
space center by the year 2035. companies.

are playing a key role in expanding India’s space has reduced dependence on imports, and India
innovation ecosystem in collaboration with ISRO has established itself as a technology exporter.
and other partners. The government’s decision to This story of India’s success in the space sector
open space to the private sector has also boosted is not just related to rockets and satellites, but
India’s space economy, which is estimated to also about the changes in people’s lives. From
grow from the current $8.4 billion to $44 billion farmers doing farming in remote villages to
by 2033. Further improving the policy vision, the students taking advantage of digital education,
central government implemented a new space space technology has now become a part of
policy in 2023. The Performance Linked Incentive people’s lives. India’s continuous successes have
(PLI) scheme has strengthened the domestic man- also made the space sector popular among the
ufacturing of space sector related products. This common people. n

40 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || August 16-31, 2025