NEW DELHI: Announcing a major leap in the country's space research and exploration programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced a manned mission to space by 2022.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

"In space technology, we have dreamt something, our scientists have dreamt something. And I am happy to announce that by 2022, the 75th Independence year, we are planning a manned space mission," PM Modi said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.


"We will put an Indian in space by 2022 or earlier," he said amid thunderous applause from the audience at the Red Fort.


The Prime Minister said that India was extremely proud of its scientists, who were excelling in their research and were at the forefront of innovation.


"Our scientists have made us proud. They launched over 100 satellites... They successfully completed the Mars mission," the PM said. 


PM Modi's announcement is likely to act a major morale booster for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is planning to deploy its biggest rocket - the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) - to send Indians into space from Sriharikota in the next few years.


The space agency plans to spend Rs 9,000 crore and hopes to launch the first mission within 40 months. ISRO's plans, which is reportedly in the "demonstration phase", includes undertaking two unmanned flights and one human flight using Indian technology to catapult a crew of three into a low earth orbit for 5-7 days.


Till date, ISRO has spent Rs. 173 crore developing critical technologies for human space flight. The plan was first pitched in 2008 but was deferred as the economy and Indian rockets experienced setbacks.