India to have its own space station by 2035,
Context:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India aims to establish its own space station by 2035.
- He emphasized India’s commitment to exploring the moon and bringing back samples from its surface, with plans for future missions to Venus.
Relevance:
GS-03 (Space technology)
Key highlights:
- An Indian astronaut is slated to land on the moon during the “Amrit Kaal” through a crewed lunar mission by 2040.
- The four astronaut-designates for the Gaganyaan program were hailed as representatives of the aspirations of India’s 1.4 billion citizens.
- Prime Minister Modi highlighted the significance of India’s upcoming manned space mission, contrasting it with the country’s last astronaut flight 40 years ago.
- He praised the ISRO staff involved in the Gaganyaan project and called for support from the public and media to facilitate the astronauts’ training without interruptions.
What constitutes a space station?
- A space station is a spacecraft engineered to endure extended periods in space, facilitating the docking of other spacecraft and accommodating crew members.
- The most renowned example is the International Space Station (ISS).
International Space Station (ISS):
- Functioning as a habitable artificial satellite orbiting in low Earth orbit (LEO), the ISS stands as the largest human-made structure in LEO.
- Completing multiple orbits around Earth daily, it’s often observable from Earth with the unaided eye. Launched in 1998, its components have been continuously inhabited since inception.
India’s Space Station Endeavor:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently divulged plans for India’s own space station. The detailed blueprint for this endeavor will be charted post the Gaganyaan Mission, India’s inaugural manned space mission.
