India Marks National Space Day 2025 with Bold New Missions
New Delhi | Desk: India marked National Space Day 2025 with pride and excitement, celebrating its rapid progress in space exploration. The day has become a beacon of hope, especially for young Indians dreaming of the stars.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video address, spoke about India’s rising status in global space science. He highlighted milestones such as the historic landing near the Moon’s South Pole two years ago and India’s success in mastering space docking technology.
Modi expressed special pride in Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently carried the Indian flag to the International Space Station during the Axiom-4 mission. “Meeting Shukla showed me the infinite dreams of New India’s youth,” the Prime Minister said.
To nurture this spirit, Modi announced the creation of an 'astronaut pool' a new pathway for young Indians to train and contribute to the nation’s space ambitions.
He also confirmed that India is making rapid progress in advanced technologies, including semi-cryogenic engines and electric propulsion. The much-awaited Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human spaceflight, will launch soon. In the coming years, India also plans to build its own space station.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan outlined a 15-year roadmap for India’s space program- The first module of the Bharatiya Antriksh Station (BAS) will launch by 2028 and become fully operational by 2035. Missions like Chandrayaan-4 and a Venus Orbiter are on the horizon. By 2040, India aims to bring back lunar samples, a milestone that will put the country alongside the world’s top space agencies. Work has also begun on a Next Generation Launcher to strengthen rocket launch capabilities.
Beyond exploration, Modi stressed how space technology is improving life on Earth. From satellite-driven crop insurance and disaster relief to fishermen’s safety and national infrastructure planning under the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, space science is powering everyday progress.
Looking to the future, Modi challenged India’s fast-growing space startups to create five unicorns in the next five years. He also urged the private sector to scale up rocket launches, from the current five or six annually to fifty per year within the same timeframe.
