ISRO enters major expansion phase with seven upcoming launches and new Moon missions

 ISRO is preparing for one of its busiest phases yet, with seven more launches planned before the end of the current financial year.

Chairman V Narayanan said while talking to PTI that ISRO is entering a period of rapid expansion as it moves ahead with major science missions, industry partnerships and long-term human-spaceflight plans, and added that the agency’s remaining launch schedule includes a commercial communication satellite and several PSLV and GSLV missions, with a key milestone being the first PSLV built entirely by Indian industry.

Narayanan confirmed that the government has also approved Chandrayaan-4, which will be India’s most complex moon mission so far. The mission aims to bring back lunar samples, a capability currently held only by the US, Russia and China. “We are targeting 2028 for Chandrayaan-4,” he said.

Another major project gaining pace is LUPEX, the joint India-Japan mission with JAXA that will explore the moon’s south pole and study water ice in the region. These missions are part of a broader plan under which ISRO aims to triple its spacecraft production over the next three years to meet rising mission demand.

Narayanan said work has already begun on the Indian Space Station, which is expected to be completed by 2035. “The first of the five modules will be placed in orbit by 2028,” he said. Once operational, India would join the US and China as the only major nations to run their own space stations, especially as the International Space Station approaches retirement.

On the Gaganyaan human-spaceflight mission, the ISRO chief clarified that there has been no change in the schedule for sending Indian astronauts into space. He said only the uncrewed test missions have seen adjustments. “Let me make it clear: the uncrewed mission was targeted for 2025. The crewed mission was always planned for 2027, and we are holding on to that date,” he said. Three uncrewed missions will take place before the first flight carrying astronauts.

Narayanan also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed ISRO to work toward landing Indian astronauts on the moon and bringing them back safely by 2040. With this long-term roadmap, India is positioning itself alongside global space powers. The US is preparing for crewed lunar landings under its Artemis programme, while China has set a 2030 goal for its first human mission to the moon.

As the number of missions grows, so does India’s space economy. Narayanan said India currently holds about 2 per cent of the global space market but aims to raise this share to 8 per cent by 2030. India’s domestic space economy now stands at around USD 8.2 billion and is projected to grow to USD 44 billion by 2033. He said the global space economy, currently valued at about USD 630 billion, could reach USD 1.8 trillion by 2035.

Narayanan added that space-sector reforms have led to a sharp rise in private participation. Today, more than 450 industries and 330 startups are working in India’s space ecosystem — a dramatic jump from just three startups a few years ago. “We now have a vibrant base ecosystem, and it will grow further,” he said.