Chandrayaan-4, Venus mission, Gaganyaan expansion get Union Cabinet nod

"Major technologies that are required for docking/undocking, landing, safe return to earth and also accomplish lunar sample collection and analysis would be demonstrated," it said.

The Chandrayaan-4 mission, which follows the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission of 2023, has been cleared at a total cost of Rs 2,104.06 crore. The mission will be spearheaded by ISRO and is expected to be completed within 36 months. This will be a critical step towards enabling India's future manned missions to the Moon by 2040.

ALSO READ: Cabinet approves Rs 25,475-cr subsidy on P&K fertilisers, Rs 35,000 cr for PM-AASHA for price support to farmers

Vaishnaw said that other missions such as Venus Orbiter Mission, Gaganyaan follow-on and Bharatiya Antariksh Station and Next Generation Launch Vehicle development have also been cleared by the Union Cabinet.

He added that Venus Orbiter Mission will be India's first interplanetary mission to the planet Venus, which is known as earth's twin.

"The mission will orbit the planet and probe its atmosphere. Studying the characteristics of Venus will aid the fundamental research of several science & technology projects," he said.

“The Venus Orbiter Mission is a significant step towards the vision of exploring Venus, beyond the Moon and Mars,” the government’s statement noted.

With a total fund allocation of Rs 1,236 crore, the Venus mission is expected to be launched by ISRO in 2028. It aims to provide critical data on Venus, a planet believed to have once been similar to Earth, to help scientists understand planetary evolution. "The mission offers an invaluable aid in understanding the evolution of the sister planets, both Venus and Earth,” the statement added.

Separately, in a press release, the government said that the study of the underlying causes of transformation of Venus, which is believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth, would be an invaluable aid in understanding the evolution of the two sister planets.

"The Indian Venus mission is expected to answer some of the outstanding scientific questions resulting in various scientific outcomes," it said.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to the development of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will have three times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3.

The NGLV project, with an allocated budget of Rs 8,240 crore, will include three demonstration flights over the next eight years. This technology will be essential for future human spaceflights and the launch of communication and earth observation satellites.

Separately, the Cabinet approved the building of first unit of the Bharatiya Anatriksh Station by extending the scope of Gaganyaan, India's human spaceflight programme. This will serve as the country’s first space station by 2035. The initial module of the station is expected to be launched by 2028 under the expanded Gaganyaan program.

“Approval by the Cabinet is given for the development of the first module of BAS and related missions,” Vaishnaw said. The station will play a key role in long-duration human space missions, which will be crucial for future lunar exploration and beyond.