Bharatiya Antariksh Station: India's ISS? When Will It Be Launched? Govt Shares Update

The Indian government announced on Wednesday that the country will have its own space station by 2035, which will be called Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed while responding to a query from reporters.

This was during the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

The MoU marks a unique collaboration between biotechnology and space technology and is an effort to integrate the two while heading in the direction of scientific innovation.

Biotechnology which has traditionally been confined to laboratories, is now reaching the vast expanse of space, Dr Jitendra Singh noted.

According to him this MoU represents a pivotal step towards practical applications of biotechnology, moving beyond theoretical research.

The minister also praised ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology for their efforts in making this collaboration possible.

The Bharatiya Antriksh Station will fulfil the objectives of an orbiting Indian human space flight platform in low earth orbit (LEO).

Undertaking medium to long duration, human space flight missions to LEO as part of the sustained Indian human space program would become easier.

Like other operational space stations, BAS will also consist of multiple modules as well as state of the art, technological capabilities for carrying out Scientific research and technological development activities in micro gravity. All of these efforts are targeted towards national priorities and societal applications.

Additionally, the recent approval of the revision in the Gaganyaan Programme, the scope of the programme has been expanded to include precursor missions to the BAS.

This includes the development and launch of the first module of BAS (BAS-01), which is targeted to be launched in 2028. It is also expected to be fully operational with all modules by 2035.

This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technolog, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.