Aim for Indian on Moon by 2040: PM Modi to scientists

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked scientists to aim to send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040 and set up an Indian space station by 2035, according to an official statement.He gave these directions during a meeting in New Delhi to review the preparedness of the Gaganyaan mission and the first demonstration flight of the crew escape system test vehicle scheduled for October 21."The meeting evaluated the mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025," the statement said. To realize this vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle, the construction of a new launch pad, and setting up human-centric Laboratories and associated technologies.During the meeting, the Prime Minister also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.
He expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and affirmed the nation's commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification. In the meeting, it was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned.The first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on 21st of October. The meeting evaluated the mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.