Cabinet approves Chandrayaan-4 mission, first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station, Venus mission, next-gen launcher

NEW DELHI: To take the next giant leap in the Moon mission after the successful landing in the uncharted lunar south pole, the PM Modi-led Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the fourth mission to the Moon ‘Chandrayaan-4’ for bringing lunar samples back to the Earth, and also gave a green light for building the first unit of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2028 and its overall completion by 2035 by increasing the scope and nearly doubling the budget of the Gaganyaan follow-on missions.

After successful missions to the Moon and Mars, India is now set to explore Venus, with the cabinet also approving the development of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) that will explore the Earth’s sister planet. The cabinet, just after the completion of 100 days of Modi Govt 3.0, also cleared the development of a reusable next-generation launch vehicle (NGLV) ‘Soorya rocket’ that will have three times the present payload lifting capability — from 10 tonnes to 30 tonnes — to the low earth orbit (LEO), I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. TOI was first to report about the development of ‘Soorya’ and Chandrayaan-4 mission.

Chandrayaan-4 mission:
The fourth Moon mission aims to collect lunar samples, bring them back safely and analyse them on Earth. “Eventually, it will achieve the foundational technological capabilities for an Indian landing on the Moon, which is planned by year 2040, and return safely back to Earth,” according to a cabinet statement.

Isro chairman S Somanath said, “Chandrayaan-4 mission is primarily targeted to go to Moon and come back. Doing it at low cost is the highlight of the mission. To send a man to the Moon by 2040, we need to gather the technology, have confidence on it. Right now, we don’t have it. So, we have to go step by step.” The fourth Moon mission is “planned for Rs 2,104 crore”, and the development of the spacecraft and its launch will be handled by Isro. The Chandrayaan-4 mission is expected to be “completed within 36 months of approval”, the statement said.

Gaganyaan and Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS):
Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of the first module of BAS. It also revised the Gaganyaan programme to include the scope of development and precursor missions for BAS, and factored an additional un-crewed mission. “With a net additional funding of Rs 11,170 crore in the already approved programme, the total funding for Gaganyaan programme with the revised scope has been enhanced to Rs 20,193 crore,” the cabinet statement said. “The target is to develop and demonstrate critical technologies for long duration human space missions,” it said.

Under the programme eight missions are envisaged — four under the ongoing Gaganyaan programme by 2026, and development of BAS-1, and another four missions for demonstration and validation of various technologies by December 2028. The Isro chief said, “Goal given by PM is that we need to have a full-fledged a space station by 2035. Our priority is to send first module of BAS-1 by 2028. Initially, we will start with existing rockets and then with the upcoming NGLV rocket, we can launch the rest of the modules by 2035.”

Venus Orbiter Mission:
Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), expected to launch in March 2028, will help unravel the “Venusian atmosphere, geology and generate large amounts of science data probing into its thick atmosphere”, the statement said. The Cabinet has “approved a fund of Rs 1,236 crore for the VOM, of which Rs 824 crore will be spent on the spacecraft”. The probe offers a unique opportunity to understand how planetary environments can evolve very differently, and to find the causes for the transformation of Venus — believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth.

Next-Generation Launch Vehicle:
To increase the capability to lift heavier satellites to space, the cabinet also cleared the development of a reusable NGLV with a total fund of Rs 8,240 crore. Isro will develop a launch vehicle that will support a high payload and will be cost-effective, reusable, and commercially viable. The funds will include the development costs, three developmental flights, essential facility establishment, programme management and launch campaign. According to the cabinet, NGLV will have three times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3, and will also have re-usability resulting in low-cost access to space and modular green propulsion systems.

The industry has appreciated the key cabinet decisions. “We welcome the decision to significantly enhance funding for Isro’s Gaganyaan mission and sanctioning of the NGLV project, these steps are in sync with govt’s strong and continuous support for advancing India's visionary Space roadmap,” Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA) said.


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