India working towards its own space station, reforms to continue: PM Modi

New Delhi, Aug 15 India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, adding that the country will have its own space station in the near future.

In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, PM Modi said the nation is proud of its space sector.

“IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is back from the International Space Station (ISS). Soon he will return to India. We are working on becoming self-reliant in the space sector, preparing for the launch of Gaganyaan, which is India's flagship human spaceflight programme. We will make our own space station,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

As India’s first astronaut to have visited the International Space Station, Shukla has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage, and pioneering spirit. He became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the experience gained by Shukla onboard the International Space Station will be extremely valuable for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

The Prime Minister also said that reforms brought in in recent times have enabled over 300 startups which are working in the space sector.

"Thousands of youth are working on India’s space dream. This is the power of our youth. This is the confidence we have in our youth," PM Modi said.

Last month, ISRO took a step closer to the Gaganyaan Mission with the successful development of a key engine. The two hot tests for the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) have been completed.

The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India's capability to launch a crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit. ISRO aims to launch at least two key projects under the Gaganyaan mission this year -- a second test vehicle and an uncrewed mission. The uncrewed orbital test mission will pave the way for India’s human spaceflight programme. This will validate systems for crew safety and recovery.

Meanwhile, Indian space startups have received $430 million in investment till March this year, said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, in Parliament, citing the success of opening up the space industry to the private sector.

To promote the participation of private entities in the space sector, the government had, in June 2020, established the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) as an autonomous agency under the Department of Space (DoS) in India.

IN-SPACe has, so far, facilitated the transfer of 93 technologies developed by ISRO.

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