Indian astronaut to announce ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ from Moon in 2040: Dr Jitendra Singh
New Delhi, August 23. Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday said India aims to place an astronaut on the Moon by 2040, from where the country will announce its vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. He said the milestone would mark India’s arrival as a global space power and symbolise its journey towards becoming a developed nation.
Speaking at the National Space Day programme at Bharat Mandapam here, Dr Singh described the future of India’s space programme as a blend of science, innovation, and public welfare.
“National Space Day is a reminder that our achievements in space are not an end in themselves but stepping stones to a larger vision – where science, innovation, and public welfare come together to build the nation’s future,” he said.
Highlighting India’s progress, the Minister recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 call to integrate space technology into governance. A decade later, both government agencies and private enterprises have expanded their capabilities significantly, he said. The recently concluded National Meet 2.0, held after nearly 300 consultations with user departments, produced a 15-year roadmap envisioning the launch of more than 100 satellites, 70 percent of them small satellites, through a mix of government-led and private sector missions.
Dr Singh said this roadmap will guide India’s space journey up to 2040 and beyond, with applications in food and water security, disaster management, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth. He added that India’s space programme has entered a transformative phase, moving beyond symbolic achievements to contribute directly to scientific progress, technological innovation, and people’s lives.
The Minister also outlined the upcoming missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): the launch of NavIC earlier this year, the human-robot mission Vayumitra later in 2025, the first human spaceflight under Gaganyaan in 2027, Chandramitra in 2028, Chandrayaan-4, a Venus mission, and the establishment of the Bharat Antariksh Station by 2035.
At the event, Dr Singh presented awards to winners of the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon 2025 and the ISRO Robotics Challenge (IRoC-U 2025). Over 61,000 students took part in the hackathon, while the robotics contest focused on autonomous aerial navigation systems for future Mars exploration.
The celebrations were attended by the four astronauts training for the Gaganyaan mission — Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Shubhanshu Shukla. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan also briefed the gathering on preparations for India’s human spaceflight programme and upcoming missions.
Reflecting on India’s space journey, Dr Singh said this year’s theme, ‘Aryabhatta to Gaganyaan: Ancient Wisdom to Infinite Possibilities’, underlines the country’s strength in combining traditional knowledge with modern innovation.
