India Targets 2035 for Its Own Space Station as ISRO Expands Future Space Roadmap

• ISRO is working to establish the Bharatiya Antariksha Station by 2035.

• The first module of India’s planned space station has already received approval.

• ISRO is also advancing the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.

• Space applications now support citizens in more than 50 areas.

• National Space Day commemorates Chandrayaan-3’s historic lunar landing.

India is moving ahead with plans to build and operate its own space station by 2035, with the first module of the proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Station already approved, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said on Sunday.

Addressing the third National Space Day celebrations in Ahmedabad, Narayanan said India’s space programme has entered a phase of wider ambition, combining innovation, collaboration and the goal of global leadership in the space sector.

He said this year’s National Space Day theme carried particular significance as the country continues to strengthen its scientific and technological capabilities. According to him, India’s progress in space over the past six decades has helped transform space technology from a specialised scientific domain into a tool that supports everyday public services.

Narayanan noted that India began its space journey 64 years ago and has since built systems that directly assist citizens across more than 50 areas. These include Earth observation, remote sensing, telecommunications, television broadcasting, tele-education, disaster alerts and mitigation, national safety and security, navigation, real-time monitoring and tracking.

The ISRO chief said the country is now preparing for several major missions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among the most important are the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and the development of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, India’s proposed orbital outpost.

He said ISRO is actively working on the Gaganyaan programme while also progressing toward the creation of the national space station. The first module of the station has been cleared, and India has set 2035 as the target year for establishing the facility in orbit.

Narayanan’s remarks came as India celebrated its achievements in space exploration during the third National Space Day, an annual observance introduced after the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who also spoke at the event, highlighted the importance of Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing near the Moon’s south polar region. He recalled that National Space Day was announced after India became the first country to land near the lunar south pole, at a site later named Shiv Shakti Point.

Shekhawat said the day marks India’s historic arrival at the Moon’s south polar region and reflects the country’s growing confidence in high-end space exploration. He added that the third National Space Day celebrations in Ahmedabad were being held under the aegis of the Space Applications Centre.

The minister also pointed to the government’s efforts to widen participation in India’s space sector. He said reforms allowing greater private involvement in space science have opened major opportunities for the country and created a broader ecosystem around space technology.

According to Shekhawat, private participation has not reduced ISRO’s responsibilities. Instead, he said, it has expanded the organisation’s overall operational capacity and enabled more work to be carried out across the sector.

He said several space-related processes have become faster and more efficient in recent years. These include the development of applications, satellite manufacturing, payload creation and satellite launches. Such activities, he added, are now being carried out with improved proficiency and reduced turnaround time.

India’s space programme has evolved substantially from its early focus on basic satellite development and launch capability. Over the years, it has grown to include lunar missions, advanced Earth observation systems, satellite-based services and preparations for human spaceflight.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission marked one of the most important moments in this journey. Its successful landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023, placed India among a select group of nations with lunar landing capability and made it the first to reach the lunar south polar region.

National Space Day is now observed every year to commemorate that achievement and to recognise the country’s expanding role in space science and technology.

With Gaganyaan under development and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station targeted for 2035, India is increasingly looking toward long-duration human presence in space. The planned station would represent a major step beyond robotic exploration and signal India’s intention to become a stronger participant in the global space economy and future space research.