Indian Space Station by 2035, 1st Indian on moon by 2040,’ PM Modi to scientists

PM Modi also urged the Indian scientists to embark on interplanetary missions, including a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting with Department of Space officials on Gaganyaan, India's first manned space mission. The huddle taking place days ahead of the first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape Test Vehicle evaluated the mission's readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.During the meeting, the Department of Space presented to the prime minister a comprehensive overview of the mission, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification. It was noted that around 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.During the meeting, PM Modi directed that India should now aim for ambitious goals including the set up of a ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the meeting in the presence of Science Minister Jitendra Singh and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somnath.
The Department of Space, headed by the prime minister, will develop a roadmap for the Moon exploration. It will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), the construction of a new launch pad, and setting up human-centric Laboratories and associated technologies, the PMO statement added.