PM Modi announces India’s ambitious plan to build its own space station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s ambitious plan to build its own space station, known as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).
This initiative, with its first module slated for a 2028 launch, places India among an exclusive group of nations with an independent orbital laboratory.
The Prime Minister’s speech underscored the nation’s growing prowess in space technology and its commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India).
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has already unveiled a model of the BAS, which will initially be a 10-tonne module orbiting at an altitude of 450 km.
Over the long term, India aims to assemble five modules by 2035. The station is designed to serve as a research platform for a wide range of scientific endeavors, including microgravity research, life sciences, and medicine.
It will also be a testbed for technologies vital for future deep space missions and is expected to open doors to the commercial space sector and even space tourism.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this move is a testament to the nation’s “Reform, Perform, and Transform” ethos, highlighting how previous restrictions on the private sector in space have been lifted to foster greater innovation and collaboration.