ISRO to triple spacecraft production, launch Chandrayaan-4 by 2028: Chairman Narayanan

The government has approved Chandrayaan-4, India’s most complex lunar mission to date, scheduled for 2028. (File photo: Chandrayaan-3)

ISRO is gearing up for one of its busiest periods yet, with seven more launches planned in the current financial year, even as India’s first human spaceflight, Gaganyaan, remains on track for 2027, Chairman V. Narayanan said.

Speaking to PTI, Narayanan said the Indian Space Research Organisation is preparing for a phase of rapid expansion in science, technology, and industrial capacity. The upcoming launches will include multiple PSLV and GSLV missions, a commercial communication satellite, and the first PSLV fully manufactured by Indian industry.

The government has approved Chandrayaan-4, India’s most complex lunar mission to date, scheduled for 2028. The mission will attempt a sample return from the moon, a capability currently achieved only by the US, Russia, and China.

Another key project is LUPEX, the joint India-Japan lunar polar exploration programme with JAXA, aimed at studying water ice at the moon’s south pole.

To meet increasing mission demand, ISRO is working to triple annual spacecraft production over the next three years, Narayanan said. The agency has also started work on an Indian Space Station, targeted for completion by 2035, with the first of five modules planned for launch by 2028. This would make India the third major nation to operate a space station, alongside the US and China.

Regarding Gaganyaan, Narayanan clarified that while the schedule for uncrewed missions has shifted, the first crewed mission remains set for 2027. Three uncrewed test flights will precede India’s first astronauts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also directed ISRO to aim for a crewed lunar mission by 2040, aligning India with other leading space powers.

India currently accounts for about 2% of the global space economy, valued at USD 8.2 billion, and ISRO aims to raise this to 8% by 2030. The country’s space economy is projected to reach USD 44 billion by 2033, while the global market could hit USD 1.8 trillion by 2035.

The sector’s growth has been boosted by space reforms since 2020, which have enabled private rocket development, satellite manufacturing, and commercial launches. Today, over 450 industries and 330 startups operate in India’s space ecosystem, up from just three startups a few years ago, Narayanan said, calling it a “vibrant base ecosystem” poised for further expansion.