Crewed Moon landing by 2040, Gaganyaan in 2027: ISRO outlines roadmap for next space frontier

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has laid out a roadmap that includes a crewed Moon mission by 2040 and its first human spaceflight, Gaganyaan, by 2027. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan confirmed that the space agency is preparing for a series of uncrewed test missions ahead of India's maiden human flight, with the first such mission - featuring the half-humanoid robot Vyommitra - scheduled for December 2025.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a guideline for an indigenous crewed lunar mission by 2040, under which we have to land our own citizens on the moon and bring them back safely. A Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) has also been approved to study the planet," Narayanan said in an interview with PTI.

He said the proposed Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS) - India's national space station - is expected to be operational by 2035, with initial modules likely to be launched as early as 2027. "There are a lot of developments in Gaganyaan. We are planning some more experiments. Before the crewed mission, we are planning three uncrewed missions. Vyommitra is going to fly on that in December this year. Two more uncrewed missions will take place next year. Crewed Gaganyaan mission would be possible by 2027 first quarter," he added.

India's upcoming projects include Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5, a new Mars mission, and AXOM, a priority astronomical observatory. "The Aditya-L1 mission has already yielded over 15 terabits of solar data, with valuable insights into coronal mass ejections and space weather," he noted.

Narayanan said ISRO is open to collaboration but stressed that scientific and strategic priorities will guide partnerships. "We are open to international collaborations," he said, adding that while India is committed to self-reliance, areas such as climate science and deep-space research would benefit from global cooperation.

The ISRO chief underlined that recent reforms have reshaped India's space ecosystem through the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). "Just a few years ago, there were barely one or two startups in the space sector. Today, there are over 300 working on satellite manufacturing, launch services, and space-based data analytics," he said.

Citing India's progress, he said, "From discovering water on the Moon with Chandrayaan-1, to the first soft landing near the lunar south pole with Chandrayaan-3, India has set multiple world records in space. Today, we are No. 1 in nine areas globally."

India recently became the fourth country to achieve successful docking and undocking in orbit through the SPADEX mission, the top scientist said. "We also completed the 100th launch from Sriharikota - the GSLV F15/NVS-02 Mission - and received final approval for a third launch pad catering to all launch vehicles, including the next-generation NGLV, at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)