The Union Cabinet has approved funds for four space projects of ISRO in line with the Vision 2047 mapped by the space agency.

The Approved Projects Include

• Chandrayaan 4 Mission

  • Budget: The project was approved for Rs 2,014 and is slated for launch in 2027 for a period of 36 months.
  • Goal:  To lay the foundation for India’s plan to land astronauts on the Moon by 2040.
  • Modules: The mission will have five modules across two separate launches and is designed to land on Moon, collect samples, store them in a vacuum container, and bring them back to Earth.

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• The Venus Orbiter Mission

  • Tentative date for launch is March 2028 for the Venus mission, when the Earth and Venus will be at their closest.
    • It will be India’s second planetary mission after the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014.
  • Budget: The project has been approved for R 1,236 crore. 
  • Mission Objective: To study the, 
    • Surface and Subsurface Stratigraphy: It involves understanding of  its geological history and resurfacing processes.
    • Atmosphere: It will study the composition, dynamics, and chemistry of Venus’ thick atmosphere, including the enigmatic phenomena like the greenhouse effect.
    • Ionosphere: The mission will also examine how Venus’ ionosphere interacts with solar irradiance and solar wind, contributing to our knowledge of planetary atmosphere
    • The interaction of the planet with the sun.
  • Importance: This mission will explore Venus Evolution (considered Earth’s Twin Planet)
    • Evolution: The study aims to answer the question of how the planetary environments evolve differently inspite the similar beginnings as Venus also had the same beginning as did Earth.
    • To Explore the Possibility of Life: The presence of phosphine (a gas that is usually associated with biological processes) in Venus’ atmosphere may show signs of life in its upper atmosphere, requiring further exploration.
• Gaganyaan and Bhartiya Antriksh Station (The Indian Space Station): 
  • The Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS) is planned to be India’s own space station for scientific research which is planned to be operationalised by 2035
    • Currently, the only two functioning space stations are the US-led International Space Station and China’s Tiangong.
  • The Cabinet has approved the development of the first module of the Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS-1) by December 2029.
  • The Revised Gaganyaan Programme: Initially approved in December 2018, the mission aims for human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and focuses on completing eight missions by December 2029.
  • Budget: Both the Gaganyaan mission and the setting up of the Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS) is approved at the cost of Rs 20,193 crore
• Next Generation Launch Vehicle: 
  • It aims to increase ISRO’s launch capability from the current 10 Tonnes to the low earth orbit to 30 Tonnes to the low earth orbit.
    • India’s existing launch vehicles, including PSLV, GSLV, LVM3, and SSLV, can launch satellites up to 10 tonnes to LEO and 4 tonnes to Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
  • This launch vehicle is one of the requirements for setting up the Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS).
  • Budget: The project will cost Rs 8,239 crore and will have three development flights with a target of 8 years for the completion of the development phase.

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