The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, S Somanath, confirmed on Friday that India\u2019s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, is on schedule for a launch by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cGaganyaan is ready, and we are working towards launching it by the year\u2019s end,\u201d said Somanath during his visit to the Space Expo in Bengaluru, Karnataka.<\/p>\n
This announcement comes on the heels of the Union Cabinet\u2019s approval on Wednesday to expand the Gaganyaan program and construct the first Bharatiya Antariksh Station (Indian Space Station). Approved in December 2018, the Gaganyaan mission aims to send Indian astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), laying the groundwork for long-term human space exploration.<\/p>\n
Regarding the Chandrayaan-4 mission, Somanath revealed that ISRO has completed the engineering phase. \u201cThe Cabinet has just approved Chandrayaan-4, and we expect further updates in the coming months,\u201d he added. This mission will be more complex than Chandrayaan-3, involving two launches due to its increased size and additional modules.<\/p>\n
Scheduled for 2040, Chandrayaan-4 will develop key technologies for safe lunar landings, moon sample collection, and returning astronauts to Earth. It will play a crucial role in India’s long-term space goals.<\/p>\n
The Indian government\u2019s vision for space exploration during the Amrit Kaal includes establishing the Indian Space Station by 2035 and achieving a successful Indian moon landing by 2040.<\/p>\n