India to send manned space mission by 2022: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India was planning to send an Indian astronaut into space by 2022, setting an ambitious national target for the country’s human spaceflight programme.

Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said the mission would be undertaken by the time India celebrated the 75th anniversary of its independence, or possibly even earlier.

“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,” Modi said.

“We will put an Indian in space by 2022 or earlier,” he added.

The announcement marked a major expansion of India’s ambitions in space exploration. While the country had already established itself as a major player in satellite launches and planetary missions, sending humans into space represented a significantly more complex technological challenge.

Modi praised Indian scientists for their contribution to the country’s scientific and technological progress, highlighting their achievements in satellite launches and deep-space exploration.

“Our scientists have made us proud. They launched over 100 satellites... They successfully completed the Mars mission,” he said.

India’s space programme had already gained international recognition through the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) successful satellite missions and the Mars Orbiter Mission, which made India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit and the first country to do so on its first attempt.

The proposed human spaceflight mission was expected to require advances in crew safety, life-support systems, spacecraft technology, launch systems and astronaut training. It also represented an important step in India’s long-term ambitions to expand its independent capabilities in human space exploration.

The announcement from the Red Fort gave the planned mission a strong national significance, linking India’s space ambitions with the country’s 75th year of independence and presenting human spaceflight as a major symbol of its scientific and technological progress.