BENGALURU: The first module of India’s ambitious maiden space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), will be launched into space in 2028, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan said on Saturday. The module weighing 10 tonnes will be the first part of the BAS, which once done will weigh 52 tonnes.
At the inauguration of the second National Space Day in New Delhi, Narayanan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the BAS mission, besides okaying the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) capable of carrying much heavier payloads than ISRO launchers are currently capable of. The first module is the foundation and the first of five parts of BAS that will be completely set up in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 450km.
The first module will comprise indigenously developed technologies, including the docking system, the hatch system and the environmental control and life support system. The module has been designed for microgravity conditions and for extravehicular technologies.
As per the Indian space programme’s roadmap, ISRO is looking at setting up BAS by 2035 for Indian astronauts to live in low-earth orbit to conduct experiments, for which an astronaut pool is also being planned.
Narayanan highlighted the growing capabilities of Indian launchers in carrying progressively heavier payloads into space. He said the first Indian launcher – the SLV-3 – carried a 35Kg vehicle to LEO. The launcher’s liftoff mass was 17 tonnes. “From then until today, we have conceived a rocket to take 80,000 kg (80 tonnes) of payload to LEO and the capability of launching a 40-storey-high rocket with 2,600 tonne lift-off mass capability powered by 20,240 tonne LOX- methane rocket engine. We have demonstrated a lot of new technologies this year. We have made a breakthrough in the semi-cryo propulsion system. It was declared by the Prime Minister in 2023 and seven tests have been completed,” he said.
Narayanan said that after a gap of 10 years, a national meet was held on Friday which set guidelines for applications, including satellite-communications, navigation and earth observation for India. A road map till 2047 has also been written along with how it has to be achieved.