Bharatiya Antariksh Station: First module of India’s own space station to be launched by 2028

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval to the building of the first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, a planned modular space station to be operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Cabinet has approved the development of the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and plans to carry out missions to test new technologies for building and operating the station.

This comes as an extension of the scope of the Gaganyaan programme, the Cabinet said in a press release.

This is a crucial step for India’s space vision, which is focused on building the country’s own space station, BAS, by 2035 and completing a crewed lunar mission by 2040.

The revised Gaganyaan programme now includes eight missions to be completed by December 2028, including the BAS-1 unit launch. The revised plan includes an additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirements for the development of the ongoing Gaganyaan programme.

Additional funding of ₹11,170 crore has been approved for the expansion, bringing the total funding for the Gaganyaan programme to ₹20,193 crore. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will lead the operations with support from industry, academia and other national agencies.

The Gaganyaan program, approved in December 2018, aims to send humans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and establish the technology needed for future Indian human space exploration, the release stated.

The programme aims to develop and demonstrate critical technologies for long-duration human space missions. This goal will be achieved by undertaking four missions under the ongoing Gaganyaan programme by 2026, followed by the development of BAS-1 along with four more missions for demonstration and validation of technology for BAS by 2028.

The BAS will boost microgravity-based scientific research and technology development activities, the release added.

This initiative is expected to encourage innovations in key areas of research and development, increase employment generation and motivate youth to build a career in science and technology.