In a historic celebration of the first-ever National Space Day, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, and other key departments, announced that an Indian will land on the Moon in 2040. Speaking in the presence of President Ms. Droupadi Murmu at Bharat Mandapam, he reflected on India’s significant achievements in space exploration. He outlined the nation’s ambitious future goals. He highlighted the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s South Pole. This milestone established India as a leader in space exploration. He also recalled Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s announcement that August 23rd, 2023, would be celebrated as National Space Day, with Chandrayaan-3’s landing site named ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’ The event’s theme, “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga,” underscored India’s advancements in space over the past 6 decades, including missions like the Mars Orbiter Mission, AstroSat, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3, along with upcoming projects like Aditya-L1 and XPoSat.
He traced India’s space journey back to its inception in 1969. He praised the scientific community for their dedication, which led to India becoming the first nation to land on the Moon’s South Pole. He credited Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s leadership since 2014 for accelerating the country’s space missions and unlocking the scientific community’s potential. He also noted the rapid growth of space startups, now nearly 300, following the sector’s opening to private participation. The Finance Minister’s projection that India’s space economy will grow from US$ 8 billion to US$ 44 billion over the next decade was highlighted as a testament to this progress. Looking ahead, he outlined the Space Vision 2047, which includes commissioning the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) by 2035 and landing Indian astronauts on the Moon by 2040. He expressed confidence that this vision will expand India’s human spaceflight capabilities, leading to indigenous space station activities and further lunar exploration.
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