Next Indian astronaut will travel in indigenously built spacecraft: Jitendra Singh

New Delhi: Shubhanshu Shukla's successful space odyssey has provided expertise for India's future voyages and the next Indian astronaut will travel in an indigenously built spacecraft, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said In an exclusive video interview to PTI, Singh said Shukla's three-week stay at the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission has given India valuable insights and experience in handling space missions as it prepares for its own Gaganyaan project.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch its human spaceflight mission – Gaganyaan – that will take two astronauts to a low earth orbit sometime in 2027.

"The next mission is going to be totally, totally indigenous, developed in India, right from the scratch. Indian astronauts going in for the first time in an Indian spaceship," the Union Minister for Science and Technology said.

"It would also place us in that elite league of nations in the world which have actually been able to do so. And it would also pave the way for our future endeavours which includes setting up our own space station," Singh said.

The International Space Station is operated in collaboration by five space agencies – NASA, Roscosmos, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Canadian Space Agency. China has its own space station Tiangong.

Singh said India was also working towards building its own space station and was open to hosting foreign experiments and astronauts when it becomes operational.

"We are looking forward to having a space station of our own. Most likely it should be possible by the year 2035 and we have also decided to name it as Bharat Space Station," he said.

Singh rejected criticism that Shukla's travel to the ISS was a commercial mission and offered little scientific value.

"Absolutely not. I think there is some kind of a lack of understanding. In fact, he (Shukla) was the most important player of the four (astronauts who were part of the Axiom-4 mission)," Singh said.

ISRO has paid Rs 550 crore to Axiom Space for sending Shukla to the ISS and the costs included several months of training for him and backup crew Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.

"Peggy Whitson, the commander, is of course a veteran. Whereas, Shubhanshu was the pilot who performed the bulk of the experiments on board the ISS," the minister said, adding the outcome of the studies carried out by Shukla will benefit the entire mankind.

Singh said Shukla's space travel gave a tremendous amount of experience, expertise for India's future voyages and also put the country in a better position for large international collaborations.

"But most of all, it also sends out a huge, huge message across the globe. Now, India has come of age as far as the space sector is concerned," the minister said.

Singh said the success of Chandrayaan-3, when ISRO landed a spacecraft near the southern pole of the moon, had placed India among the frontline space faring nations.

"After the success of this mission and after what Shubhanshu has conducted in space, the first of its kind, indigenous experiments, it has also sent out a message that India today is ready to accept the challenges," he said.

Singh said the decision of the government to open the space sector for private players has given a boost to India's space economy which is projected to grow from the current $8.4 billion to $44 billion by 2033.