Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh Friday announced that an Indian will land on the surface of the Moon, fifteen years from now, in the year 2040.
At a function to mark the first-ever National Space Day, he reflected on India’s remarkable achievements in Space exploration and its ambitious future goals.
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Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s South Pole, a feat that astonished the world and established India as a leader in space exploration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister recalled, had announced that August 23 would be celebrated nationwide as National Space Day, and the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 would be named ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’
“In the last six decades, India has not only touched the lives of its citizens but also reached the Moon,” said Dr Jitendra Singh. He emphasised the significant progress made in the past decade, including the successful Mars Orbiter Mission, the launch of AstroSat, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3, the upcoming Aditya-L1 solar mission, and the XPoSat, an X-Ray astronomy mission.
He recalled that India’s space journey began only 55 years back in 1969 when US astronaut Neil Armstrong had
already set foot on the Moon. He lauded the scientific community for their unwavering dedication, which led to India becoming the first nation to land on the Moon’s South Pole.
The minister credited the policy support and the leadership provided by PM Modi since 2014 for accelerating scientific missions and unlocking the potential of India’s scientific community. He also noted the significant increase in Space startups, now numbering nearly 300, following the opening of the Space sector to private participation. He echoed the Finance Minister’s projection that India’s space economy will grow from USD 8 billion to USD 44 billion in the next decade.
Looking ahead, Dr Jitendra Singh outlined the Space Vision 2047, which includes the commissioning of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) by 2035 and Indian astronauts landing on the Moon by 2040.
